Plans for a multi-million pound new Elgin care home has had planning in principle approved.
The proposal is for a 40-bed, two-storey care home with secure landscaped gardens on vacant ground to the west of the Eight Acres Hotel on Morriston Road.
There had been three objections lodged.
But now, the new care home can move forward after councillors rubber stamped the application in the planning committee.
Reaction to the new care home
The new care home is expected to provide dozens of jobs for the area and boost the local supply chain.
It will become Parklands’ sixth Moray care home. It currently has homes in Aberlour, Keith and three in Buckie.
There will be ample parking for staff and visitors and a biomass facility would provide renewable energy.
Elgin councillor Sandy Keith agreed the recommendation to move forward the proposal.
But he was keen to see more details to address concerns from neighbours in the comprehensive plan.
What are the concerns?
One objector has lived in a house next to the Eight Acres Hotel since 1999 and
has been subject to noise from vehicles servicing the hotel.
They think this care home proposal will exacerbate this.
Another said the trees bounding the houses to the north are resident to red squirrels and should not be felled.
It comes as a group of trees and bushes next to the function suite of the hotel would be removed to accommodate this new care home.
When will construction start?
A Parklands Care Homes spokesman said they welcomed the approval but there is still work to be done.
He added: “We welcome the decision by Moray Council to grant planning consent in principle for our proposed care home in Elgin.
“Clearly, there is still much work to do to develop a comprehensive plan for the site and this will take some time.
“With inflation and interest rates at very high levels, it will be prudent also to wait for more stability in the economy before progressing to the construction phase.
“This decision is nevertheless an important first step towards the delivery of a much needed state of the art care facility for Elgin.”
Conversation