Thirteen months after its closure as a residential home for the elderly, Townsend House, a large red brick Victorian house on the corner of Stoney Lane is being renovated in readiness to receive ten new residents. Villagers attending the December parish council meeting expressed their concerns over the news that the new residents are to be adults with autism.

Autism is thought to affect around 535,000 people in the UK; it is a complex developmental disability involving a biological or organic defect in the functioning of the brain. It is a lifelong disability with no cure; a child with autism becomes an adult with autism.

Autism Solutions, the company which has acquired Townsend House already has connections with the village in the form of a house for autistic children in Bawlers Lane. The Curry Rivel News spoke with Kay Clothier, director of the company, and asked her to respond to some of the concerns raised by parishioners, which range from parking, security and the inappropriateness of locating a facility such as this in the village.

She told me that the intention is to accommodate ten adults each with a supportive carer in the house which previously had nineteen beds. Planning permission is not required for what is a change of category from ‘elderly’ to ‘learning disability’ and not a change of use. Parking has been considered in drawing up the plans and the area in front of the house will be improved to accommodate cars and service vehicles. The company is concerned about security and has made provision to ensure the safety of the homes’ residents. ‘These people are not a threat to society, it is they who are vulnerable, not the people of Curry Rivel’, said Kay Clothier. She understands that for those of us not accustomed to working or mixing with people who suffer with autism initial encounters can be disquieting. Autistic individuals often find it difficult to communicate, and withdraw from society or challenging situations; the likelihood of them wanting to ‘escape’ is pretty remote.

There is much work to be done to the fabric of Townsend House before it is fit for habitation, a new roof being the first task. The company hopes to open the house in April and before that to invite the village to an open day, the date of which will be advertised in The Curry Rivel News. In the meantime more information on autism and Autism Solutions’ approach to the condition can be found on their website www.autismsolutions.co.uk.

See also Letters to the Editor for reaction to concerns voiced at the Council meeting.

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