Probe to look at impact of new homes on roads

PERTH: Congestion fears over Murray Royal site plans

A public inquiry is to be held to look at how Perth’s infrastructure will cope with hundreds of new houses.

The Scottish Government probe, to be held this summer, will focus on controversial plans for new homes at the old Murray Royal Hospital site.

But the week-long probe will also debate growing concern about the effect of hundreds of new homes on congestion and air pollution in problem hotspots such as Bridgend and Scone.

It will look at the impact on the local roads network of the £114 million Cross Tay Link Road (CTLR) – the Scottish Government has offered £50m to the project.

The inquiry was called after Murray Royal developers complained that Perth and Kinross Council had failed to make a decision on planning consent.

Community councillors, who believe the CTLR will have minimal impact on roads in Scone and Bridgend, have welcomed the inquiry.

Plans for an 80-bed residential care home at a former office block in Perth have been unveiled.

Simply UK is seeking permission to transform the former Atrium building on Glover Street, which has lain empty for more than two years.

It was previously occupied by Living Wage Scotland and Perth and Kinross Council.

In its planning application to the council, the developer says the care home is needed to cater for a projected rise in the number of older people requiring care in the Perth area.

Simply UK says it carried out a survey last year, which found that of the 381 existing beds across five care homes in Perth, only five were available.

Linda Meston, director of care at Simply UK, said: “We held an exceedingly well-attended public meeting on February 14 at the Dewar Centre where the community were very positive and supportive of this development and the service that it will provide.”

Simply UK predicts the home will create 20 jobs in its first year.

The application covers a site along Glover Street and Graybank Road and is for the care home, private gardens and car parking. There would be a total of 34 parking spaces with 20 for staff, 12 for visitors and two for disabled parking.

In 2014 Perth and Kinross Council approved an application for a residential development at the site. The plan then was to convert the Atrium building into flats and build new flats at the rear of the property.

The bid attracted objections over fears of traffic congestion and a lack of parking in the area. Glover Street Medical Centre also objected to the 2014 scheme.

Consent for the previous application expired in November 2017.

“The community were very positive and supportive.

LINDA MESTON

The former Atrium building.