A plan to revise a road scheme outside a newly-built care home has led to objections from a neighbour whose access to their property will be affected by the changes.

Haywood Lodge opened its door last month. The 66-bed property is built on the site of the former High House Farm on the north side of the A4189 Warwick Highway, close to the roundabout at the Dog pub which links it to the A435 Birmingham Road and A4189 Henley Road.

It had been conditioned that a 'left in/left out' policy was introduced for traffic going to the site and that included a triangular island at the entrance to discourage vehicles from turning right.

But a road safety audit raised concerns about the road layout approved by planners prompting Warwickshire County Council's safety engineering team to take a closer look before recommending that a splitter island be incorporated into the road itself.

A report drawn up by council officers explained: "As part of the section 278 approval process, the layout approved at the planning stage is fully reviewed to check it conforms to the relevant guidelines and is also subject to a road safety audit. The layout is often refined at this later stage to ensure that the access will function in a safe manner and is in accordance with the relevant guidelines."

The report went on to say that concerns were raised because there were no physical features stopping right turns across the carriageway which could lead to confusion and late braking resulting in rear shunts and side impact collisions.

It added: "The central splitter island also means that right turns into and out of one other property on the south side of A4189 Warwick Highway are also prevented. This property is a residence with an office within the premises used for business purposes by the resident and her staff. 

"However, that disadvantage to the occupiers and their visitors is considered to be outweighed by the safety risks if right turns into and out of the care home are not effectively restricted."

The new traffic regulation order (TRO) was advertised during March and resulted in objections from the neighbour, a local councillor and Mappleborough Green Parish Council.

The neighbour said that the new proposals would have a detrimental effect on the entrance and exit of their property, impeding its use and enjoyment, while district councillor Cllr Peter Hencher-Serafin (Lib Dem, Studley with Mappleborough Green) said the revised scheme would be costly to the council.

In response, it was explained that the cost of any road safety scheme would be covered by the developer of the care home.

The new TRO was approved by the county council's portfolio holder for transport and planning Cllr Wallace Redford (Con, Leek Wootton and Cubbington) using delegated authority.