LOCAL charity Foresight has been granted retrospective planning permission to upgrade its supported housing facility in Stallingborough.
Anne Askew House, in South Marsh Road, has 26 self-contained apartments for vulnerable adults.
The building was taken on by Foresight after it closed as a communal living campus for the elderly two years ago.
The alterations, which were approved by North East Lincolnshire Council's Planning Committee yesterday, include changing ten windows into doorways, providing the living units with fire escapes.
The application also includes the installation of 166 solar panels on the southerly roof slope, the installation of a container for the storage of biofuel, the construction of a gravel access track to the biofuel container and the building of a 1.4m high bund within the communal garden space.
Planning officers recommended that the application be approved, despite an objection from the parish council, which expressed concerns about siting such a facility in a village which has a "distinct lack of infrastructure" and the impact on neighbours.
However, planning officer Richard Limmer said the development would not unduly harm the residential amenities of the neighbouring properties, the appearance of the street scene or the wider character of the area.
The application was approved unanimously.
Councillor Ray Sutton (Lab, Freshney) said: "I welcome this application. I think it is a tremendous asset."