A new community hub for a Rutland village has won the support of council planners.

Plans to replace an existing Village Hall, Community Shop and Doctors Surgery, with new and improved facilities on the existing site, are due to come before the planning committee of Rutland Council, when it meets next Tuesday.

The application from Barrowden Parish Council concerns a site in Wakerley Road, Barrowden, and has been drawn up in conjunction with the local community.

A planning officer's report, prepared for the meeting says says there is concern about the materials, lack of parking to meet standards and potential for noise.

But the consultation responses and consideration of the design and materials has led planning staff to recommend approval, with them saying the scheme is in line with the development plan and other material considerations are in favour of it.

The site, located between Wakerley Road and Kings Lane towards the eastern end of the village, currently comprises the Surgery, the 1920s village hall, and a community shop built around 2007.

The report said: "It is proposed to demolish the three existing buildings on site and replace them with a purpose built village hub to provide a community hall with ancillary meeting room and kitchen, a two consulting room doctors surgery and village shop incorporating shop, café area, office, storage WC's and servery.

"The area currently covered by the Surgery and its car park would become the main car park for 16 spaces (including 2 disabled). The east car park on Wakerley Road would provide 10 spaces with 1 loading and 1 disabled."

The report continued: "The new shop would be on the southern edge of the site linking to the surgery and community hall on the north side via a central foyer entrance area.

"There would be a terrace to the west of the building to provide a small sitting out area and steps would lead down to the main car park area.

"The existing footpath to the north would provide level access into the building from the car park. There would be new landscaping and tree planting across the site."

Barrowden Parish Council said the redevelopment of the village hall, shop and surgery in this location is specifically foreseen and supported in the Barrowden Neighbourhood Plan.

The parish council continued: "Provided that the hub caters for replacing facilities for existing and future needs of residents of the plan area, this should not generate additional disruption that is not incrementally related to any population expansion in the village."

The planning officers' report noted 21 representations in support of the proposal, including for the materials proposed and for the facility itself. Support for the way the project has been inclusive within the village.

There have been 4 outright objections, it continued, but others have queried various elements without specifically saying that they object. Concerns raised focussed on the issue of noise generated by the development and a hub being more suitable for a town rather than a village.

The planning officers report concluded: "The proposed building is more than domestic in scale and calls for a design that respects its historic setting. The design and materials are contemporary in nature but are satisfactory to comply (with regulations)".

"There will be minimal impact on highway safety compared to the current position and noise can be managed by the operators and conditions in the planning permission.

"The scheme is thereby in compliance with the development plan and is recommended