Murray Royal bid for a bigger site

Jan 13 2009 by Les Stewart, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

AMENDED outline plans for a £68 million mental health complex in the grounds of Perth’s Murray Royal Hospital will go before councillors this week.

NHS Tayside want to enlarge the area of land available for development in the northern part of the hospital grounds, in the Bridgend/Kinnoull area of the city.

They believe it will assist in the Private/Public Partnership (PPP) bidding process by offering a slightly larger planning area for the successful bidder to work with.

Councillors previously approved the controversial application which related to just over 34 and a half acres of land. The fresh planning bid covers 42 acres.

The planned new facilities would comprise:

A general adult psychiatry unit (approx. 60 beds).

Psychiatry for old age (approx. 30 beds).

A medium and low secure care unit (approx. 67 beds).

The revised application will be go before a meeting of Perth and Kinross Council’s development control committee on Wednesday morning.

In a report to the meeting, Nick Brian, their development quality manager, is urging approval.

He states: “The purpose of this application is to enlarge the available site to create more options for the successful PPP bidder.

“As the extra wedge of land already forms part of the existing hospital site – as opposed to extending it – I consider this application to be a simple modification to what has already been approved by the council, as proposed to a significant change.

“As the only change is a boundary alteration, I consider it unnecessary for the council to re-visit the overall principle of the new mental health facilities which was a matter of some debate previously.”

He acknowledges that part of the modified site encroaches into an Area of Great landscape Value along the eastern boundary – as was the case with the earlier – application –it technically constitutes a departure from the Development Plan.

But he adds: “As this departure was acceptable to the council as part of the previous consent, I consider there to be no reason to change the justification for it.”

Mr Brian concludes: “Despite the sensitivity of the previous application, this proposal is simply for a modification of the planning boundary from the approved scheme and has raised very few objections.

“As a result, the proposals are therefore considered to be acceptable.”

Given the final go-ahead of detailed plans, work is expected to start on site in March, 2010, and be completed in the spring of 2012.