A CARE home that closed last year could be demolished and replaced with flats.

Avonwood Manor in Nelson Road shut in November following claims by its management that Brexit uncertainty was making recruitment difficult.

Domesticus Ltd has now submitted plans to BCP Council to demolish the home and build two blocks of flats in its place.

“There is a significant oversupply in the provision of care beds and bedrooms within the 15-minute catchment of Avonwood Manor Care home,” a Savills report submitted on its behalf says.

It adds that the facility “would not meet” CQC criteria to be registered again and that the site is “too small” to build a replacement.

Until November the care home was run by Beritaz Care but it shut the facility due to its “uneconomical” reliance on agency staff.

Speaking at the time, its chief executive said “uncertainty over Brexit" had been a "double-edged sword".

He said it was more difficult to recruit qualified staff from the EU and that investors were also being more cautious.

Domesticus’ application seeks permission to demolish the building and replace it with two separate blocks totalling 30 flats.

But it says the scheme would not be sufficiently profitable to provide any ‘affordable’ housing.

It has also attracted dozens of letters of objection.

Among them, the Society for Poole said: “The absence of any ability to support priority needs for affordable accommodation reinforces the view that this proposal represents insensitive overdevelopment."

Concerns have also been raised by neighbours of the site about the level of development proposed.

Erpingham Road resident, Wendy Staples, said: “The increase of 60-plus additional people living in this relatively small residential area will have a detrimental impact on the rest of the local residents.

“Nelson Road – and nearby roads – are already extremely dangerous for anyone using them due to people from local offices parking their cars.

“Any major increase in the number of residents and their cars from a proposed development such as this will only add to this situation.”

Council planning officers will consider the scheme in the coming weeks.