The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Battle lines drawn over bid to sell off Brechin Infirmary site.
Healthcare group opposes plan to remove title conditions in bid to make site easier to dispose of
Battle lines have been drawn after NHS Tayside applied to remove title conditions from a former hospital site in Brechin.
Brechin Infirmary, which was deemed surplus to requirements in February, is comprised of land from two donations.
The health board wants the option to sell off the land and has applied to the Lands Tribunal for Scotland for the “complete discharge” of the title conditions. The conditions ensure the land must be used for medical purposes.
Brechin Healthcare Group (BHCG) has opposed the removal of title conditions and lodged a petition to save the site.
Elements of the BHCG have taken issue with the health board’s claim the field “has never been used for healthcare purposes” and said it was used until the 1980s for an infectious diseases unit.
Angus Conservative MP Kirstene Hair said the group’s claims should be properly investigated. She said: “Brechin Infirmary was judged surplus to requirements as a hospital by NHS Tayside and in order to have more chance of selling the land, it wants to remove these stipulations.
“Before the original intended use is lost forever, there needs to be a full analysis of this statement. MP KIRSTENE HAIR
“But there seems to be uncertainty over whether parts of the land were used for an infectious diseases unit until the 1980s. The notice says that is not the case.
“Before the original intended use is lost forever, there needs to be a full analysis of this statement.”
A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said: “The NHS Central Legal Office (CLO) checked the title deeds and there is no note of an infectious disease hospital on the field. The CLO has also confirmed the description of such a building on the site does not affect the request to the Lands Tribunal as the notice for the release of the titles under the Lands Tribunal relates to the land and the respective contents within the curtilage of the defined area.”
Angus Health and Social Care Partnership said there has been “some concern Brechin Health Centre is under threat of closure” following the application to the Lands Tribunal.
It said there are no plans to close the health centre. A spokesperson said: “Brechin Health Centre has not been declared surplus to requirements. It is important to try to achieve maximum value for money from the sale of the Brechin Infirmary and field sites as this money can then be reinvested.
“To this end, NHS Tayside’s property advisers recommended the existing legal burdens on the land would restrict the opportunities for sale and prevent the site from selling for its best price.
“The public notice included mention of Brechin Health Centre as part of the site, but be assured NHS Tayside and Angus Health and Social Care Partnership remain committed to continuing to deliver health and social care services from Brechin Health Centre.”