Perthshire Residents Win Retirement Home Row

A group of Perthshire residents have won the right to stay in their retirement homes.

Perth and Kinross Council had wanted to evict them from the former holiday park at Mill House in Crieff because the homes did not have planning permission.

However, a public inquiry into the issue ruled that the residents should not be evicted.

The site’s developer, Welch Homes, had maintained the land had unrestricted planning consent dating from the 1960s.

Ochil and South Perthshire Labour MP Gordon Banks had backed the residents’ campaign to stay.

He attacked Perth and Kinross Council for its decision to pursue the case.

He said: “It is sad that the situation was allowed to go on so long and disappointing that the council decided to pursue an action which was aimed at victimising elderly residents.

“Perhaps the council will now seriously reconsider its approach in the future when dealing with these sort of issues.

“Targeting innocent and elderly victims can never be the correct course of action.”

Perth and Kinross Council leader Ian Miller said he was disappointed with the ruling.

‘Legal scrutiny’

He said: “This case required important planning and legal decisions to be considered and balanced with many representations from residents and other parties.

“I fully understand that residents at Mill House have been extremely concerned throughout this process.

“It is unfortunate that they have had to go through this, and I would offer my sympathies to them. ”

Mr Miller said the local authority would take time to consider the ruling and its implications for planning regulations.

MSP for Perth, the SNP’s Roseanna Cunningham, said more scrutiny was needed on the legal issues involved.

She said: “I have always argued that the residents were the innocent victims in a battle between the council and the developer.

“I remain extremely concerned, however, about the practice of marketing static caravan sites as permanent homes and the lack of legal scrutiny applied to transactions which involve substantial sums of money and the roof over one’s head.

“I would urge anyone considering purchasing caravans such as these in the future to treat the process just as they would if they were buying any other type of house and ensure that they have all documents checked by a lawyer.”