‘Urban sprawl’ fear with Strathmartine Hospital housing plans

Controversial proposals to build housing on the site of the former Strathmartine Hospital are to be debated.

Plans have been submitted for 198 new houses in addition to 24 properties within the listed main building and existing cottages.

But Strathmartine Community Council has long held the view the site should only have around 40 houses built and claim if the plans go ahead, the area would become part of Dundee’s ‘urban sprawl’.

The hospital closed in 2003 and, since then, has become a target for thefts, vandalism and even arson.

A decade ago, it was purchased by an offshore investment company called Heathfield, which has put forward the planning application and held public exhibitions outlining its proposals.

Strathmartine Community Council will discuss the proposals at a meeting tonight. Secretary Duncan McCabe said: “This proposal for 198 new build houses is five times more than allowed for in the local plan, a fact the developer was well aware of when the site was purchased.

“It would constitute a sub-urbanisation of the Strathmartine area swamping the village of Bridgefoot, which comprises around 80 dwellings at present.

“It would cease to be rural Angus and become part of Dundee’s urban sprawl.

“We believe that the proposal runs contrary to the provisions of the current local plan in a number of specific areas.”

Developers say local planning policy recommends limiting new-build housing to 40 units, but said the site needed a “far bigger development” to be viable.

The developers are proposing improvements to local roads including improving the existing footpath links to the village.

A survey of all households in the area showed a 95% opposition to the new-build proposals, leading the community council to formally reject the proposals.

However, a two-thirds majority of those surveyed were in support of the main building being turned into flats.

All local residents have been invited to this evening’s meeting, to be held at 7.30pm in Strathmartine Primary School, with a view to sending a deputation to address Angus councillors. The final decision is to be made at a full council meeting on December 18, after plans were initially rejected earlier this year.

Robert Evans, a partner in the firm Muir Smith Evans, who represent site owner, Heathfield Ltd, said previously that — should the decision go against them — an appeal was possible.

“We would have the right of appeal to Scottish ministers if the application was rejected but at this stage we have no idea if we would go down that road,” he said.

“We would have to consider very carefully our next step. We could certainly not look at new proposals for this site as we have invested so much in this proposal.”