Green light for flats at former care home near Helensburgh

Argyll and Bute Council has given the green light to proposals for 10 flats to be built within the former Clyde View Care Home, at Bloomhill, on the Carman Road.

The extension to the care home will also be demolished and new car parking facilities established under the plans lodged by former care home owner Reheela Khand, who is represented by Organic Architects.

The Care Inspectorate sought an emergency cancellation of the care home’s licence in April 2018 amid escalating concerns about the welfare of residents.

Ten people living at the home were moved to alternative accommodation, with inspectors describing what they found in the care home as “unacceptable”.

Inspectors had served an improvement notice on the home the previous month, but they were then granted an emergency cancellation last April because they “felt there was a risk to the life, health or wellbeing of residents”.

Bloomhill, a listed building, is described in a design statement as a Jacobethan Villa, dating back from 1838.

The statement added: “The change of use will secure the future of the building and allow repairs to be made to the existing structure.”

A handling report by council planning officer Frazer MacLeod, issued on Friday, July 5, said that five letters of representation had been received from a total of seven people.

Concerns had been raised over the protection of trees at the site, and over the safety of the public and drivers at the access point on to Carman Road.

Mr MacLeod said: “The application is sited within a conservation area in which all trees are protected. The proposal does not involve the removal of any trees within the application site boundary.

“The area roads manager has specified a number of considerations the applicant is required to undertake. These matters are subject to a safeguarding condition.”

He then added: “The conversion from a 22-bedroom care home into 10 modern flatted dwellings will retain a significant building which, at present, is vacant and at risk.

“The internal alterations, new extensions, downtakings of dilapidated sections and external alterations are sensitively designed and sited to protect the fabric of the listing.

“High quality materials are also proposed which will be acceptable in heritage policy terms.

“The proposal is facilitated by additional formalised parking. The scale of the development – less than 20 units – and the existing private access is acceptable to serve this proposal.

“The junction connecting with Carman Road will require a layout to ensure that the vehicles have the ability for access/egress in either direction.

“Improvements are required to both the vehicular access and the sightlines to the northeast travelling towards Dumbarton, therefore visibility splays are required to be conditioned.

“The width of the access will also need to be increased to 4.5 metres for the first 10 metres, with inter-visible passing places between entrance and the main parking areas.”