Garden care home bid set to be rejected

A BID to transform a walled garden at a ruined stately home near the ERI is set to be turned down following complaints that it would ruin the city's green belt land.

City planning officials have recommended refusing the scheme, which would have seen a 100-bed care home created in the garden on the rundown Edmonstone estate near Little France.

In a report to councillors, the city's head of planning and strategy Alan Henderson said that building the care home would be an "unacceptable" use for green belt land.

He added: "These proposals, at three storeys tall, would rise above the garden wall and would be visible from other parts of the green belt.

"The effects of this proposal would also have a significant detrimental impact on the wooded boundary of this site, resulting in the loss of many trees."

However, developer Boskabelle has said it did not expect the scheme to be discussed by councillors, as the plans have been succeeded by another proposal to create a "care village" on the site.

It added that it expected the new plans, which includes sheltered apartments, a health centre and a care home, to be discussed later this year.