Proposals to demolish an old spa and replace it with a café, to go along side a new Newton Poppleford care home, are set to go before district planners.

An application has been submitted to East Devon District Council as part of a wider redevelopment involving the former hotel and restaurant - Hillside House

The plans for land east of the 13-bed care home scheme, in Exeter Road, have been put forward on behalf of Brandon Care Ltd.

Last year the Exmouth-based family-run company were given the go-ahead to start works on Hillside House, which in the past has suffered bouts of vandalism and was occupied by squatters.

The developers wanted to create a ‘boutique style and intimate care home’ with 13 en-suite bedrooms, while sympathetically extending the building to include a communal lounge dining room, a conservatory and spaces on the first floor to enjoy the panorama.

Works are now nearing completion on the 16.5-acre site which will have chickens and ducks to have fresh eggs daily and a sanctuary for three ponies.

It is expected that residents should be able to move into the home sometime over the next few months. The Hillside House development will also create a total of 23 new jobs for the area and will run alongside the firm’s two other homes in Exmouth.

The newest application put forward, at the end of last week, seeks permission to knock down the existing spa which is said to be in very poor condition.

The developer then wants to replace it with a new build that will include a café and an art gallery space and workshop, for the talented artists in the area to work and exhibit.

The proposed single-storey building will be used to support Hillside House Care Home and will also be open to the public. As well as this, the local community will also be encouraged to make use of the new space where practicable.

It is hoped the venue will give friends and family an environment away from the care home itself while also enjoying the nearby open space.

Visit planning.eastdevon.gov.uk and search 17/1551/FUL to have your say on the scheme.

A date for when the application will be decided has not been set as of yet.