Rose Innes care home future still hangs in the balance

THE FUTURE of the Rose Innes care home in Aberchirder remains unclear, after councillors again delayed a decision on demolishing the property to make way for 13 new low-cost homes.

At a meeting of Aberdeenshire Council’s Banff and Buchan area committee last Tuesday, members deferred ruling on Inverurie-based Tor Ecosse’s planning application, after a debate over drainage at the site.

Aberdeenshire planners have voiced concern that the developer has not demonstrated that the site could be adequately drained.

However, Fraserburgh councillor Ian Tait questioned whether the lack of detail submitted to the council’s flood prevention department was a strong enough reason to block the plans.

Councillor John Cox, from Banff, also noted that neither SEPA nor Scottish Water had raised objections to the proposal.

Committee chairman Sydney Mair said that it was “logical” to delay making a decision until the concerns raised at the meeting could be addressed.

This is the second time the application has been deferred. At a meeting of the area committee in early March, members opted to visit the site on the town’s South Street.

Developer Tor Ecosse wants to knock down the former care home and build a mixture of terraced, detached and semi-detached homes on the site.

The development has been recommended for refusal by Aberdeenshire’s planning service, and has met with widespread local disapproval.

The council received 15 letters of objection, while only a single correspondence favoured the plans.

The former Rose Innes Care Home, in Aberchirder.

Objectors pointed to the insensitive siting and poor design of the development, the impact on the surrounding environment, the loss of trees and a shortfall in parking.

Aberchirder and Marnoch Community Council also questioned the need for more affordable housing in the town.

Last month it emerged that local businessman Robert ‘Bingo’ Bremner was heading a consortium seeking to take over Rose Innes and renovate it as a care home.

Mr Bremner has teamed up with Stirling-based Roberts Consultants, who are specialists in developing care businesses.

The building is currently owned by Aberdeenshire Council, which ran the home until it was closed down a few years ago because it no longer met Care Commission standards.

The building itself dates back to the 19th century, and it started life as the hospital for the town.