Protested plans for dozens of flats on the site of a former Aberdeen care home have been approved – despite fears the new properties will not be a “a pleasant place to live”.
Charity VSA is looking to sell off the “redundant and outdated” Forest Grove in King’s Gate – requiring planning permission to seal a deal for the land with Cala Homes.
But as elected members divided on the issue yesterday, Councillor Yvonne Allan blasted the ambition from the designers.
“I feel this is not going to be a pleasant place for people to live,” she said.
“It is like someone is going to drop this from the sky. It is unimaginative and overprovision.”
Despite her concerns, the plans were passed in a 6-3 vote on the city planning committee.
VSA bosses were said to be “delighted” at the decision, telling us: “The sale of this site to Cala will go towards providing much-needed help to vulnerable adults in Aberdeen and our Changing Lives campaign to support adults living with a range of mental health conditions across Aberdeen.
“For 150 years, VSA has been at the heart of the Aberdeen community providing support to vulnerable children and adults.
“As times have changed, so has the way we have delivered our services but always with one ambition: to give the people of Aberdeen the best of care to enable them to live the best of lives, and the funding from this sale will go directly towards helping us change lives.”
A spokeswoman said VSA and Cala had “spent a great deal of time” making sure the proposals fitted in with local development plan.
Latest plans for flats at Forest Grove drew similar protest to earlier attempts
The partners had brought forward proposals for 35 flats on the leafy site, downsizing their ambition after a negative community reaction to previous plans for 49 apartments.
The charity previously said money raised from the sale would help to pay off its new £3.2 million residential mental health care facility in Abergeldie Road, recently adding the cash was needed to “bridge the mental health gap” forcing hundreds onto north-east waiting lists.
But there remains strong opposition from those living nearby and from the council’s own planning professionals, who worried the three and four-storey development would amount to overdevelopment – while some of the flats could be in danger of being overshadowed for large parts of the day.
Town planner Jamie Leadbeater told councillors the scheme was “at odds” with the agreed local development plan, adding : “It is considered that the application be recommended for refusal; in terms of the site being overdeveloped, its adverse impact on the conservation area, the additional adverse on the setting of Richmondhill House and the inadequate level of residential amenity that would be afforded to prospective residents.”
He added that the fact planning permission would enable VSA to raise cash from the land sale was not material to the black and white planning decision being taken.
Councillors overruled planning officials as Cala and VSA had ‘shown movement’
But planning convener Marie Boulton moved to pass the plans, dismissing Mr Leadbeater’s concerns about overdevelopment, due to the “smaller footprint” of the flats compared to the existing care home.
She said: “In 2019, the developer came in with a residential development of 41 flats over four storeys and what I’m seeing in front of me is a reduced ask down to 35 flats, and only one part will be four-storeys and the other part over three.
“I never like to lose trees if I can help it, but I think any development on the site we are going to lose some.
“We have conditions in there in terms of materials, we are going to get some electric vehicle charging points out of this, landscaping, I think it is well placed for public open space.
“The developer has shown a level of movement on the plans.”
Concerns about overdevelopment and the loss of trees split councillors
Trees in the grounds will be lopped down, as the fire service demands a widened entrance point to meet modern standards.
That proved a redline for Councillor Martin Greig who backed the official recommendation to throw the plans out.
Mr Greig said: “This is a proposal that fails in so many respects.
“I am sympathetic to the applicant because they are very keenly wishing to develop this site.
“But I am convinced that there would be better alternatives that would be acceptable, complying with policies, if they were to go back to drawing board and provide a more acceptable proposal.”
He was seconded by Councillor Bill Cormie, who hit out at a lack of change in the proposals from those the developer withdrew in 2019.
The Midstocket and Rosemount member said: “It is sad that really we have gone through this for two years and that the developer has not worked with planners to get this sorted.
“All in all, it just doesn’t fit and they should really go back to the drawing board.”