Edinburgh planning: 60-bed care home approved at Corstorphine Woolworths gap site despite concerns

The planning application submitted by Northcare Ltd in April is for a mixed-use £15 million development comprising a care home and associated amenity facilities, three ground floor commercial units, parking, open space, landscaping and ancillary works.

The plans for the gap site on the corner of Manse Road and St John’s Road, where a Woolworths store stood for many years, also include five assisted living apartments.

An artist's impression of the proposed care home in Corstorphine. | City of Edinburgh Council

The site, located within the Corstorphine Conservation Area, has been cleared of previous development leaving only a small electrical substation within the gap site.

The proposed new building comprises a flat roofed, L-plan building of four storeys in height, rising to five storey in height towards the corner of St John’s Road and Manse Road.

The plan allows for 10 bedrooms clustered to each building section from the first to third floor, with communal and living areas located in the St Johns Road section of the building on the main street frontage.

On the ground floor there would be three commercial units on St John’s Road, as well as five one and two-bedroom apartments. While the fourth floor at the St John’s Road corner would include a resident’s lounge, spa, cinema, and access to a roof-top sensory garden over the Manse Road section.

Another artist's impression of the Northcare building, from St John's Road. | City of Edinburgh Council

The proposals were approved on October 25 by the council’s planning department, with chief planning officer David Givan saying: “The principle of development on a brownfield site is acceptable and will strengthen the town centre vitality and visually enhance the local townscape.

“There is no adverse impact on the special interest of surrounding listed buildings and the character and appearance of the conservation area will be preserved.

“The proposal will achieve a satisfactory residential environment for future occupiers and result in no unreasonable loss of amenity to neighbouring properties.

“The level and design of parking is acceptable whilst the site is close to local services and public transport, contributing to local living.”

The Corstorphine site, previously occupied by a row of shops, is currently lying empty. | City of Edinburgh Council

One local resident raised concerns about the construction of a new care home at the Corstorphine site causing structural issues for neighbouring homes.

Swapna Yama said: “The demolition of the previously existing arcade of shops seems to have caused additional settlement and subsidence of my neighbouring block of flats, as well as the vibration caused by the demolition leading to multiple repairs needing to be done to the roof of the block of flats.

“I am concerned that the building and foundation work would lead to further structural issues with the adjoining block of flats.”

However, while approving the application, the council’s chief planning officer warned: “The applicant should be aware that the site lies adjacent to existing residential properties and that construction may lead to noise, vibration, dust and access impacts.”

In the planning documents, the applicant states that the £15m care home development would create 80 jobs, and “add to the provision of specialist housing in an area of need, freeing up mainstream housing stock”.

They said: “The redevelopment of the site provides an opportunity to enhance the character and appearance of the conservation area and preserve features that contribute positively to the area’s character.

“The proposed development maintains the scale and massing of the approved design and proposes high quality materials in line with the extant permission which was considered as being, ‘of appropriate architectural quality and relates in mass, scale, outline, materials and character to the existing village fabric, as well as the high street of St John’s Road’.

“Initial feedback on the proposals was generally positive and using the consented scheme to influence the emerging design was welcomed. The principal of a care home in this location was established and deemed acceptable.”

The new development will include five assisted living apartments and three commercial units as well as the 60-bed care home. | City of Edinburgh Council

Speaking about the public consultation for these plans, the applicant added: “The major concern for residents focused on car parking, with many believing that the 10 spaces provided were insufficient for the development. A wider issue relating to vehicle traffic and parking within Corstorphine Town Centre was highlighted with locals concerned that any new development might compound this.

“During discussions with individuals, the design team confirmed that the proposed parking provision was in line with the Edinburgh Design Guidance and both local and national government planning policies, that aim to promote travel by sustainable modes and discourage car use.

“It was also indicated that the care home will operate with no defined visiting hours. This encourages a spread of visitors over the full extent of the day to avoid concentrated periods where parking demand might be high.

“This is found to work in other Northcare care homes where parking provision is similar, with visitors observing patterns and adapting to this to avoid potentially busy periods and ensuring that parking is available.”

The main entrance to the care home will be accessible from the car park, while a second more discreet entrance will lead to the service access for staff and deliveries to ensure “minimal impact to residents”.

The boarded up gap site as it currently is, seen from the corner of St John's Road and Manse Road. | City of Edinburgh Council

Access to the assisted living apartments is separate and from Manse Road at the southwestern corner of the site. Each of the commercial units and the cafe/brasserie are accessed direct from St John’s Road, albeit the cafe can also be accessed internally, direct from the care home.

Existing mature and substantial trees around the site perimeter will be protected and retained. These will be augmented by new landscaping including specimen tree planting and native shrub planting to help ground the building in its surroundings.

The development to which this permission relates must be begun not later than the expiration of three years beginning with the date on which this permission is granted. If development has not begun at the expiration of this period, the planning permission lapses.