Hospital housing bid rumbles on
Discussions continue despite objections
Perth and Kinross Council has said it is “still in discussions” with a company intent on converting a former hospital into flats – despite its transport team saying it could not support the proposal.
PKC’s transport planning department filed an objection to Rivertree Developments’ application to adapt the old Murray Royal Hospital as well as build another 70 new properties in its grounds back in May saying that a transport assessment accompanying it had “seriously” under-represented the development’s likely impact on local roads.
Its statement chimed with the opinion of Bridgend, Gannochy and Kinnoull Community Council who claimed the same assessment, which concluded the development would have no “significant” impact on the surrounding transport network, was “riddled with errors” and “an insult to local intelligence.”
But asked this week when a decision was due on the controversial application considering the council’s transport team reached their conclusion back in May, a spokesperson said: “We are still in discussions with the applicant in relation to the transport issues identified.
“A processing agreement, which sets out the timescale, is in place with a target for determination at the end of September.
“This can potentially be extended with the agreement of the applicant.”
Elsewhere, it also emerged this week that a consultancy acting for Rivertree Developments wrote to PKC during discussions about the content of its next local development plan (LDP), asking for an embargo on new housing being built within the old hospital’s grounds to be lifted.
“The ‘site specific developer requirements’ (in the old LDP) should be amended to exclude the statement that ‘only the conversion of the listed buildings will be allowed to be occupied prior to the opening of the [Cross Tay Link Road]’,” said Fraser Littlejohn of Montagu Evans LLP in a representation. The requirements
Developers want to turn the former hospital into flats clearly identify the need for the submission of a transport assessment. The additional statement seeks to predetermine the proposals coming forward across the site and prejudges any transport assessment submitted in respect of the proposed development of the site and is potentially prejudicial to the overall strategy to develop the site.
“Such matters can only be considered and fully assessed in the context of an application.”