PLANS to build a ten-bedroom extension to a care home have been given the green light.

Davard Care Homes, which owns Welshwood Manor Care Home, in Welshwood Manor Road, Colchester, has won permission to increase its number of rooms from 34 to 44 by building on an adjoining bungalow.

The plans, which will provide the equivalent of nine full-time jobs, had faced stiff opposition from residents who voiced concerns over an increase in traffic and sewerage problems.

But Colchester Council planning officers said the scheme is “well designed and would sit comfortably in the street scene”.