Residential care provider Northerncare has applied for a licence for its new home in Portishead and said the new facility could be up and running in two to three months.

The proposed home prompted outcry earlier this year among councillors and residents who were concerned over the location in a residential area and its proximity to the Severn Estuary.

However, Northerncare said it was "confident" of receiving an Ofsted licence shortly. The scheme does not require planning permission, as the property was formerly a care home for the elderly.

It has also emerged that the home will be aimed at girls rather than boys.

Vivian Clark, Northerncare' s head of commercial matters, said: "We were initially going to focus on boys. The focus is now on girls, and that is in response to the needs of our local authority partners."

However, Jeremy Blatchford, North Somerset Council's executive member for children and young people's services, said there was still extensive opposition to the scheme.

He said: "This home is in the wrong place. The community is very close. Any vulnerable children put here will be readily identifiable and that's not fair on them."