Residents object to plans for children’s home in Cooks Spinney

News / Mon 19th Jan 2026 at 10:05am

A PLANNING application for a children’s home in Cooks Spinney near The Stow is set to be put in front of the Harlow Council planning committee.

The application relates to 87 Cooks Spinney, Harlow.

The applicant is Emmanuel Oghagbon of Alphatree Homes Limited

It is set to be heard on Monday January 26th at the civic chambers in The Water Gardens.

A total of eight representations were received objecting to the proposed change of use.

The following objections were raised that are material to the determination of this planning
application:

Parking/Highway Safety: will exacerbate local parking stress
Amenity: noise generation; disturbance; loss of security; loss of privacy; change of use
neighbour’s enjoyment of their property; impact on general wellbeing
Character & Appearance: conversion into children’s care home not appropriate or
compatible within a residential area;
It has been used a childrens home for over a year with various degrees of issues
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service published 14 July states that additional water
supplies for firefighting pruposes may be required and that the applicant is urged to
contact Water Services at ECFRS headquareters. Planning committee should be
provided with evidence this request has been complied with.
Officer Comment: The material matters raised are addressed in the assessment below.
The following objections were raised that are not material to the determination of the planning
application:
May be used to house sex offenders, anti-social behaviour;
The applicant is not listed as a social worker on Social Work England;
Devaluation of house prices

Planning application for children’s home in Cooks Spinney

3 Comments for Residents object to plans for children’s home in Cooks Spinney:

Al gafar

2026-01-19 10:18:54

Well i never another little earner ,seems to be the way forward ,loads a money! For nothing ,creating an environment that nobody wants ,these.redidrnts for naughty children are popping up all over Harlow and I dare say elsewhere. Who is paying.? Us of course we are lining pockets in the guise of doing good .

Stuart J

2026-01-19 17:40:27

Thurrock Council recently turned down a similar application. These Companies are receiving an average £320,000 per child per year, that’s £1.28m for the 4 children, even more where the child has complex needs. All paid for by the LA. These Companies target Harlow and other similar towns, due the relative cost of suitable cheaper properties, as London properties are now getting rather expensive. It would far cheaper if the Councils were to provide this service themselves, as it’s reported that upwards of 80% of these payments is pure profit.

Resident

2026-01-20 06:46:56

As a resident why is this the 1st im hearing about it?! Why has the area not been canvassed. These are standard residential homes, they are not fit to be made into a children's home.