Multi-million-pound proposals to build a care home on the banks of the River Tay in Perth have taken a step closer to becoming reality.
Plans have been lodged with Perth and Kinross Council to tear down the former Tayside Nursing Home in Isla Road to make way for a more modern home, estimated to cost £14 million.
Set on a three-acre site, the development will include two 60-bed buildings, a training and administration centre, assisted living units, three mainstream houses and associated car parking and landscaping.
A detailed application submitted by Faskally Care Home Ltd, a subsidiary of Balhousie Care Group, claims that it will provide a “much-needed” community building.
The report states, “Many existing care homes throughout Scotland no longer meet the space and design criteria prescribed by the Care Commission or indeed deserved by residents and, therefore, the Balhousie Care Group see a need for the construction of new care homes to provide quality accommodation.
“The proposals for the Isla Road development form part of this programme of expansion to meet this need.”
Described as an “urban care community,” the proposals are a first for the Forfar organisation and will provide sheltered housing, allowing residents to live independently with plenty of support nearby.
They would also have the option of moving into a residential care home as their requirements changed.
It is hoped that, if these plans were approved, around 150 jobs could be created in Perth, as well as rejuvenating a site that has long been an eyesore.
The building is known to many residents as the offices of the insurance company General Accident, before being converted into the Tayside Nursing Home in 1997.
It was run by Craegmoor Healthcare Co. Ltd for a number of years, but a negative Care Commission report in December 2009 indicated that significant investment was needed to improve it.
As a result, the home was closed and the site has lain empty for over a year, with investors showing little interest until now.
Explaining the reasons behind the revamp, the applicant added, “The inefficiencies inherent in managing these beds within a property with real limitations in its suitability for upgrading for modern care home accommodation standards rendered it unprofitable to run and, inevitably, the home was scheduled for closure and sale on the open market.
“Faskally Care Home Ltd has purchased the site with a view to realising its development potential to provide two prestigious 60-bed care homes with state of the art facilities linked via a common hub providing central entrance, day space and servicing facilities.”
A public consultation process has already been held, with responses being described as “largely favourable,” although concerns were raised which have since been addressed.
It is hoped that a decision will be made on the application by mid-August.