Plans have been passed to turn a large house in a Herefordshire town into a children’s residential home.

Kent-registered Integrum Children’s Services proposed housing up to three young people aged between six and 13, along with two care staff, at the five-bedroom Hildersley Cottage, by the A40 west of Ross-on-Wye.

As their application was simply for confirmation that the change of use was lawful, rather than a full planning application, there was no consultation with officials or the public.

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Government guidance states that planning permission is not required when turning houses into children’s homes, so long as they meet criteria which keep the premises in the same “use class”.

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Drawing on this, planning officer Gemma Webster concluded that the house would still be in the C3, or residential, use class, “if at least one carer is resident within the building and all six or fewer residents are living together as a single household”.

Integrum proposed having two carers on-site round the clock and did not plan any alterations to the building, which “will still be run on a day-to-day basis as a domestic property”, she concluded.

Described as a charming period home with a well-stocked garden and far-reaching views, the house was put on sale earlier this year with a guide price of £795,000.