Caring Homes deal expected to go ahead now...22 July 2008

A year ago it was announced that the Home Of Compassion was being sold to a private operator, Caring Homes. Following withdrawals of current and promised funding by Surrey' NHS authorities, the charitable trust that had kept the Home running was unable to finance the essential updating of care facilities to meet standards. The sale would ensure that the future of this historic listed Grade II building was safeguarded as a home of respite for the elderly and infirm, and would not otherwise be left to the vagaries of developers or further decay. The charity would use the proceeds to establish a charitable trust fund for the relief and care of those in their last years. Putting the sale into effect has not been an easy task, however. Covenants with the Boyle Farm Estate meant that the approval of Boyle Farm residents was needed for a private company to acquire the Home. At a public presentation of plans at the Home on 19 July, company representatives confirmed that negotiations have now concluded with an agreement whereby the inhabitants of the private Boyle Farm Estate will get a strip of land giving access to the river, and a slipway and small pontoon. The agreement is subject to planning permission being obtained.

"The covenants will be altered to allow Caring Homes - and Caring Homes alone - to acquire and run the Home and in all other respects they will remain as before," the company's Development Director Philip Osborne told us. This will preclude sale onwards to any other company without approval of Boyle Farm inhabitants and should act as a safeguard against the Home's acquisition for real estate development aims.

Meanwhile, Caring Homes have been acting as managers for the Home on behalf of the Trustees. They have also been working on plans for extending the buildings and modernising the facilities inside to give inhabitants their own rooms rather than the existing and unsatisfactory dormitory accommodation. The investment will total some £12 million. Caring Homes and their architects, Scurr and Partners of St. Albans, have consulted informally with planning officers in Elmbridge Borough Council and have opted for development using traditional materials and design harmonising with the present listed structure, rather than markedly different, modernistic additions. The plans were on view at the Home's Open Day on 19 July, and Scurr and Partners have kindly sent us images of the proposed development and the plans for display here.

Several villagers have expressed concern about the future of the Charity itself with its Shop and Summer Fair (which was not held in June this year) - hitherto very much a part of village life. The management of Caring Homes say that they are very happy for such activities and events to continue. We hope that they do. It is not yet clear how the Trustees will proceed once the sale goes through and we have invited representative John Jennings to provide an indication of how the new fund will work; the criteria to be used in allocating support for the needy; and continuation for the Home's current inhabitants.