Children’s care home controversy in rural Stirlingshire
PLANNING permission has been granted to turn a rural house between Kippen and Arnprior into a children’s care home, despite some locals saying there are too many care facilities in the area.
Stirling Council’s planning panel recently granted an application for a change of use of a property off Woodstone Road to the Carevisions Group Ltd.
The new facility would house up to three children plus two workers.
Some objectors, including Arnprior Community Council, claimed there had been “several incidents” involving damage to local property and the need for police callouts – including “on one occasion the need for attendance by the police helicopter” – allegedly stemming from similar facilities around Arnprior.
The community council told Stirling Council: “The community and the local police force have accommodated the current level of care home development and the associated difficulties they have created, but we consider the addition of a further care home an over-provision of such facilities in our area, unreasonably changing the balance of our community with a clear detrimental impact on both the character and amenity.”
Council planners, however, said such issues were not material planning considerations and therefore not relevant.
The council’s social care services told planners they had “no concerns” regarding the location of the premises in the rural area, away from services in a town/village.
They said they had “a good relationship with Care Visions”, adding: “They are one of our framework providers. They have performed well with recent Care Commission inspections with good scores in all areas of performance in relation to delivering care to young people in the houses they run in the Kippen area.
“The development would offer an additional option for finding suitable placements for young people who need to be looked after in the Stirling Council area and may offer the chance in a small way to reduce out of area placements being made. This would be dependent on a quality placement, with excellent care, at an appropriate price.”
The council’s children’s services said, however: “As Care Visions do not provide education, this means the young people need to get access to our mainstream schools and specialist provisions. Although Children’s Services can seek funding from the home authorities, this is a process which requires a great deal of time from officers and senior managers and can place a strain on our current resources.
“There is sometimes difficulty getting agreement with home authorities on the amount of support a young person requires, and sometimes a difficulty in recruiting the extra posts required.”
Arnprior and Kippen community councils and objectors had also raised issues about the access road to the property.
Stirling Council planners said: “The issue of whether the location would undermine Carevision’s ability to operate the residential care home as effective care in the community was raised with the applicant. Carevision have advised they look after vulnerable children and young people and rural living is a suitable environment for rebuilding their lives.
“Carevision’s view is that the countryside location would allow children to take part in community activities, benefit from the beauty and tranquility of nature and reduces the pressure on them to become part of the negative culture that exists in some towns and cities.
“The council’s social care team advised there are no concerns regarding the location of the premises in a rural area.
“Access to the site is available via a number of different routes. Objectors express concern that these local one-way roads are in a poor state of repair with no designated passing places and are not suitable for increased traffic movements the commercial enterprise would generate. However, vehicle trips associated with the development would be similar to those of a single dwelling house in the countryside, and the council’s roads section are of the view that the impact on the surrounding road network is minimal.”
