A former nursing home which was forced to close after a damning inspection is set to be converted into two homes with a further two new properties built in the grounds.

The business in Barham, near Canterbury, was shut down in March 2021 after the Care Quality Commission rated it ‘inadequate’, which led to Kent County Council withdrawing its registration.

The home had only been acquired by Bright Care in 2020 and the company had plans to improve the facilities but blamed the Covid pandemic for affecting its operations.

More than 20 elderly residents had to be rehomed and the property was originally put on the market for £2.1 million with the hope that a new operator might take it on.

However, the age and constraints of the 18th century building, known as Barham House, meant that it was unviable to re-open as a nursing home.

The handsome former manor house was subsequently sold at auction for just over £1 million the following year and now a scheme for the redevelopment of the one-acre site has been approved by Canterbury City Council.

Developer Quinn Homes says the scheme will be sympathetic to the Grade II-listed property’s character.

The proposal is for two new-build four-bed houses in the grounds and for the main manor house to be converted into two separate homes - a four-bed and a five-bed.

The permission includes listed building consent for the internal alterations needed.

Barham Parish Council did not object to the application.

Quinn Homes says a detailed heritage assessment concluded the optimum viable use for the listed building is conversion back to its original residential use.

However, the extent and cost of necessary repairs and upgrades to the listed structure mean that conversion to a single dwelling or a modern care facility would be unviable.

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In granting planning permission, city council planning officers deemed that any perceived harm to the heritage assets of the building and location was outweighed by the benefits of re-purposing the property and site for residential use.