Plans to demolish a care home and replace it with a new 60-bed version in South London has faced a backlash from residents, calling it an “eyesore”.

Willow Grange Care Home owners say the plans will help them to “survive the pandemic”, as they are losing £32,000 a month.

The Surbiton building will be six storeys tall and feature a brain injury unit, bringing 32 new jobs to the area.

But the application has received 71 objections from residents.

Applicant Julien Payne told Surbiton’s Neighbourhood Committee on Thursday (July 22) evening: “The building can’t survive anymore… This new application is basically to survive the pandemic.

“I am just trying to keep my family business alive because it’s losing £32,000 a month and that’s not sustainable.”

He explained he is happy to talk to any concerned residents.

Last year, when the Covid-19 pandemic started, waiting lists dropped 30 per cent over night, according to Mr Payne. Before then, the care home had been “full for years”.

A planning consultant for Mr Payne said in the meeting the building is currently “not fit for purpose” but the new state of the art care home “will deliver exceptional care facilities for residents with dementia and acquired brain injury”.

The main objections raised by residents in the area were the concerns of demolishing an historical building, the size and appearance being “totally inappropriate” and “overbearing”, loss of light and privacy, congestion increase and the impact on nature.

One resident said the development is “ill-considered, poor quality” and an “eye-sore”.

Councillor Sharron Falchikov-Sumner said: “My inbox has literally been brimming for weeks with residents all telling me that they hate the design, it’s too big, some saying that it’s going to affect their mental health because they live opposite…. I’m not exaggerating here.”

Cllr Yogan Yoganathan said: “One of the biggest problems is most of the residents are very upset because they were not involved in [the development].”

The property, was purchased by the applicant’s grandparents in 1941 as a home and later became a care home.

The application was submitted back in April 2021 and will go before a planning committee soon for a final decision.