Third time lucky for St Mary’s as Monks prayers are answered
PPS today assisted CALA Homes in gaining planning consent for 19 homes on Kinnoull Hill in Perth, a planning application that generated a great deal of publicity and debate in and around the city with almost 500 individual representations made.
The sale of the land, owned by St Mary’s Monastery, would see every penny spent on a scheme of essential interior works needed to preserve the 147 year old Grade B listed building.
Despite the fact that the site was in an AGLV, was proposed for inclusion within the Perth City Green Belt and had a strong recommendation for refusal by Perth & Kinross’s planning officers, Councillors accepted the strongly argued case that this was essentially enabling development to secure the long term future of the St Mary’s building. The committee concluded that the future of St Mary’s far outweighed any specific planning policy concerns. St Mary’s operates as a spiritual retreat for thousands of people each year with visitors from Perth, Scotland and all over the world coming to restore their health and wellbeing and St Mary’s has earned an international reputation for its services.
PPS is delighted to have played its part in another planning consent, bringing real investment to Scotland at a time when the house building industry is in desperate need of some good news.
Written by Donald Anderson