AN application to build a 22-bed extension on a nursing home in a West Devon village is being recommended for approval by Dartmoor planners, despite objections by the parish council and residents. The scheme would also provide Blackdown Nursing Home in Mary Tavy with three lounges and ancillary accommodation, to be built on the front of the existing building. The application replaces a previous, similar plan to extend the home at the rear, which sparked objections over its impact on the surrounding moorland. Some residents in Mary Tavy claim the extension will affect the amenities of neighbours in terms of noise during construction and once the building is in use ? they are also concerned over its prominence, increase in traffic, adequacy of access, increase in lighting and the effect on drainage in the area. The parish council has raised strong objections on grounds of its size, position and prominence, disturbance to neighbours, impact on highway safety and on the sewerage system in the area. Jo Burgess, Dartmoor National Park planning officer, said in a report that due to changes in care regulations, ten bedrooms at the home were due to be lost, so the overall net increase in bedrooms was actually only twelve. ?In terms of highway safety, although visibility at the entrance is restricted, the county environment director raised no objection ? the layout enables more straightforward access for deliveries to the kitchen,? said Ms Burgess. She said the design of the extension was acceptable and although it would be visible from open land on the other side of the valley, it would be seen against the existing building and rising ground, so was unlikely to be prominent. The planning committee is due to consider the application at its meeting in Bovey Tracey tomorrow (Friday).