Councillors urged to throw out scaled-back plans for retirement village

Councillors on Aberdeen’s planning committee have been urged to reject plans for a retirement village in the west of the city.

Scaled-back proposals were put forward to create the community at Binghill House in Milltimber.

Original plans included 140 homes for people over the age of 60. However, the number was later revised down to 60 flats and cottages.

Drawn up by architecture firm Halliday Fraser Munro, the proposals also include a 20-bed nursing home, shops, a cafe and allotments.

Objections to environmental impact

However, dozens of letters of objection were received by Aberdeen City Council planners, with many raising concerns about a loss of green space resulting from the retirement village.

Now council officers have recommended that the local authority’s planning development management committee reject the plans when it meets later this week.

They cited concerns over the scale of the development, and said the developers had not “demonstrated sufficient consideration” for the surrounding area.

A report reads: “The proposal would not be for purposes considered essential for agriculture, woodland, or forestry, it would not be a recreational use associated with an agricultural or rural setting and would not be associated with mineral extraction or landscape renewal.

“In addition, whilst it could be argued that the proposal is within the boundaries of an existing activity, it is not small-scale, it would significantly increase activity on site and would not be ancillary to what exists.

Plans ‘would destroy character’

“The proposal would also destroy or erode the character and/or function of the Green Space Network.

“The proposed development has not demonstrated sufficient consideration for its context and has not demonstrated an acceptable form of proposed development that respects the setting of the Category C-listed Binghill House, nor has the applicant adequately demonstrated how an acceptable level of development could be accommodated on site whilst having due consideration for its surrounding context.”

Officers also raised concerns over the possible loss of protected trees.

The retirement village plans will go before the planning committee tomorrow.

If councillors do choose to approve the development, planners have requested that they ensure it is subject to a legal agreement and a number of conditions relating to matters such as access, the appearance of buildings and a detailed ecological impact assessment.