Concerns have been raised about plans to turn a former cottage hospital in Highland Perthshire into holiday accommodation.
A new planning application from new owners London Edinburgh Properties submitted to Perth and Kinross Council, which seeks to turn Aberfeldy Cottage Hospital into seven self-catering holiday apartments has been called “ridiculous” and “shameful” by frustrated locals experiencing a shortage of places to live.
Aberfeldy Cottage Hospital became non-operational in November 2015 and has lain vacant ever since.
The hospital site had been previously earmarked for purchase by the council with a proposal to turn the property into social housing.
But Highland ward Conservative councillor John Duff disputed the seriousness of those earlier ideas: “I don’t think there were fully worked up proposals, just a request to explore conversion of the listed building into affordable housing.
“That exploration concluded that it wasn’t feasible in terms of value for money so wasn’t progressed.”
The latest planning application which would see seven holiday lets built in a spot that could house several families has been slammed by SNP politicians Pete Wishart MP and Mike Williamson, Perth and Kinross councillor for Highland Ward, as well as locals.
Stuart Brain was born in Aberfeldy Cottage Hospital and his mum died there too. He said: “I was one of the last people to be born there and my mum also passed at the hospital and I dare say, there’s many people in the town with similar stories.
“I would hate to see it end up as letting accommodation when we are so desperate for housing at a decent cost.
“Making the building community-focused would be so much better than just a way of extracting profit from the town.”
Pitlochry resident Kate West said: “I think that turning the hospital into more holiday accommodation is ridiculous.
“There are hardly any properties in the area for the young and for people who want to work here. It is very short-sighted and detrimental. Pitlochry is the same.
“A complete lack of affordable housing. Shameful.”
Aberfeldy resident Carol Lang asked the public to act: “If you object to this, then please make sure you file that objection.
“If the planning letter had said it was going to be turned into residential homes, I wouldn’t have had any objections, and would have celebrated the use of the cottage hospital being restored for something super positive for the community.
“As it is, and as people have already said, there are few enough homes available for families let alone affordable homes or long term rentable properties for families moving to the area for work.
“If this application is approved, I feel it will open the floodgates for the town itself to become no more than a holiday resort and as a working town, I fear its heart and soul will become depleted.
“I completely understand that there needs to be a balance, I have also worked in tourism and hospitality, so as a small Highland town I appreciate that we also do rely on tourism but this feels very much like the scale is tipping quickly off balance.”
Highland Perthshire SNP councillor Mike Williamson believes the building could have helped provide much-needed affordable housing.
Councillor Williamson said he sees daily evidence of people looking for affordable housing in the area and this could have helped the situation.
He said: “People are not blind to the lack of affordable housing as well as the rising number of homes that are being converted to self-catering apartments within Highland Perthshire.
“Tourism is our biggest industry and it needs to be demonstrated that the economic impacts benefit everyone.”
Perth and North Perthshire MP Pete Wishart said: “News of a planning application to turn Aberfeldy Cottage Hospital into holiday homes has left many in the area rightly furious.
“This is particularly outrageous given that the Conservative-led council has in the past proposed to buy over this building for the purpose of turning it into much needed social housing.
“ Highland Perthshire is saturated with holiday homes, while affordable housing is in desperately short supply.”
