PLANS to build 51 apartments on the site of a former Portishead school for elderly people in need of care, have been approved following an appeal.

The site in Slade Road, close to the town’s High Street, housed Portishead Primary School from 1914 until it relocated to new premises in Station Road nine years ago.

But plans to regenerate the site were turned down by North Somerset Council in December last year amid concerns over who would benefit from them.

The four-storey building, including a basement, will house 51 apartments, consisting of one, two and three bedrooms.

They will be available for people over the age of 65 who need some care on a regular basis.

The homes will provide residents with communal dining, care within their own homes, library facilities and 28 parking spaces.

The apartment block, which has been developed by Gladman Homes Ltd, will be managed by Methodist Help for Aged.

Christopher Still, who oversaw the appeal on behalf of the Cheshire-based developers, said he was pleased with the outcome.

He said the firm had listened to the concerns raised about issues such as parking and had increased the number of spaces.

The site was cleared following the school’s move in 2003, leaving it a flat, clear, brownfield site.

A church was planned for the site when it was purchased by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints in 2006, but after their congregations in Weston and Clevedon merged, they no longer had need for it.