New care home can motor on ahead

Doubts over whether planning conditions do discourage people from using cars to get to and from new approved developments have failed to dissuade councillors from approving a new 77-bed care home in Perth.

Perth councillor Willie Wilson expressed reservations about using conditions requiring developers to come up with staff travel plans for proposed workplaces as a means to restrict car usage during an online meeting held on Tuesday.

Councillor Wilson questioned the practice as he mulled over development company Westerwood’s application to build the care home on land previously occupied by the former Hillside Hospital between Dundee Road and the River Tay.

He asked his questions after noting Westerwood only intends to create 31 car parking spaces within the grounds of the new care home despite expectations at least 77 people might end up working there one day.

A report put before Cllr Wilson and the rest of the council’s development management committee recommended members approve Westerwood’s application subject to a condition requiring the company to come up with a staff travel plan.

It said the plan would“seek to manage staff use of the car park and encourage such measures as lift sharing and more sustainable modes of transport such as bus or cycling”.

However Cllr Wilson said he still felt Westerwood ought to provide more car parking spaces despite the good intentions of the travel plan.

“Is there any leeway that we can squeeze some more in?”he asked.

Council officer Lachlan Maclean replied it was hoped staff could be persuaded to walk or cycle or take a bus to and from the home instead of driving as per the travel plan Westerwood are expected to produce.

But Cllr Wilson went on to ask how he could be assured either Westerwood or the eventual operator of the care home would succeed in discouraging staff from just driving to and from their work.

He added he was aware travel plans produced for other sites had failed to limit car usage in the past and he felt requiring Westerwood to produce another one for its proposed care home was just a perfunctory act.

“I feel we’re dealing in tokenism here with travel plans,”he said.“It’s easy to write a travel plan. It’s a doddle. But it’s very difficult to implement because people will make their own choices.”

Council officer Anne Condliffe replied she understood Cllr Wilson’s frustration with travel plans not working but added it was up to developers to enforce them.

“We’re satisfied with the number of car parking [spaces] that are proposed at the moment,”she said.

Westerwood’s planning application was approved by the committee with no amendments.