A specialist care home designed to help older people live independently for longer has won planning permission.

Reardon Court ‘extra care’ home in in Cosgrove Close, Winchmore Hill, will provide 91 homes for affordable rent in blocks up to four storeys high.

The self-contained flats, which will mainly be one-bedroom units, will come equipped with a kitchen, bathroom and living space.

They will be built around a courtyard featuring trees, communal tables and chairs, and a Petanque ball game court.

Care workers will be available on site around the clock in case any of the residents need assistance.

The home is designed to help people live healthy and active lives while allowing them to keep their links to the local community.

There will be 25 car parking spaces, including five disabled bays, as well as cycle parking and storage space for mobility scooters.

The old two-storey Reardon Court nursing home, which was closed in 2016, will be knocked down to make way for the new, larger building.

Councillors backed the scheme at a meeting of the planning committee on Tuesday (February 4).

Enfield Council received just four objections to the plans, including from people living in nearby Carpenter Gardens, which will be overlooked by the development.

Ines Kirby, who lives in Carpenter Gardens, told the meeting that while she and her neighbours were not opposed to the principle of a care home, the proposed development would be too high and block out sunlight from their gardens.

She added: “Our gardens and back bedrooms will be overlooked, and it is uncomfortable thinking we could not use them without the possibility of someone watching.”

Ms Kirby claimed it would be an “ugly building” and “completely without architectural harmony”.

But Akram Hamouda, associate architect at Pick Everard, defended the plans.

He said: “In terms of daylight and overshadowing, an assessment has been done, and it is compliant with Building Research Establishment requirements.

“There will be no significant impact at all on the daylight you are going to have on your gardens. It will be 80 per cent as a minimum.

“As for the quality of the design, the northern edge is three storeys, not four storeys. It is not something intrusive – it is natural material that will fit into the context of the surrounding buildings.”

The ‘extra care’ home will cater for people with physical and mental health conditions, including dementia.

Demand for this type of accommodation is set to rise, as the borough’s population of over-65s is growing more rapidly than the England average.

There are currently 1,435 people over the age of 65 in specialist accommodation in the borough – projected to rise to more than 2,000 people by 2030.

As well as helping older people, the scheme is expected to save the council around £740,000 per year on care placements.

Nine councillors voted in favour of the plans, with one abstaining.