Expansion refused for nursing home

Dec 12 2008 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

A MAJOR expansion of the Kippen House Private Nursing Home near Dunning was refused because of the scale of a proposed extension in front of the existing Scottish baronial style building.

Operators of the home, Wolverhampton-based Guardian Care (UK) Ltd, which has a total of 30 other care homes in Scotland and England, sought full planning permission for a new building which would create more than 50 new rooms at Kippen House, which lies in some four hectares of countryside about one kilometre south of Dunning.

An agent for the applicants told Perth and Kinross Council’s development control committee: “The Care Commission’s report recommends a number of improvements be made to meet current standards.”

He explained the new building would allow the upgrade of existing facilities at Kippen House which currently has 17 rooms, would safeguard existing jobs and provide new jobs.

Plans for the new extension showed that it would be on three floors close to the existing building but would increase to four floors as the new build followed the land contour.

The area of the proposed new-build was twice the size of Kippen House, and it was the large scale of the application which alarmed objectors and the majority councillor on thedevelopment control committee.

The voice of objectors living near Kippen House was Alastair Bartholomew who said: “We do not want to stifle development of this site but we are overwhelmed by the scale.”.

“This is not in scale with the existing building. It is a massive structure and there is no was the existing landscape or woodlands can accommodate it without impact.”

He added: “A smaller and more sensitively designed extension would be better.”

Mr Bartholomew also voiced concern on behalf of nearby householders that the private water supply, which he said was classified by Perth and Kinross Council as ‘high risk’, would be inadequate to cope with the additional demand, and he questioned where the extra staff needed for the expansion would be accommodated.

The council’s Development Quality Manager Nick Brian pointed out the water position was a private arrangement and it was up to the applicant to ensure they had an adequate supply.

Moving refusal of the application, against Mr Brian’s recommendation to approve, development control convener Willie Wilson said: “It is obvious there are real outstanding issues, including the water supply and staff accommodation, and the major issue is the size and bulk of the building.

“I’m not sure the design, scale and bulk of the building are appropriate to the site, and I also have serious concerns about how this building would be services with regard to staffing.

Committee vice-convener Ken Lyall called for the application to be approved: “I feel this is contained relatively well within the footprint of the land,” he said.

After the application was refused on a vote of 6-4, Councillor Wilson commented he would like to see the applicant engage in consultation with the local community.