THE NHS has been accused of abandoning the elderly after blueprints for accommodation for dementia patients’ accommodation were scrapped in favour of a new luxury housing development.
East Dunbartonshire Council and Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board had signed up to the care much-needed plan at the former site of Lenzie Geriatric Hospital after planners’ rejected proposals for houses from a developer.
But the local authority has now ignored its own officials and given the go-ahead to such a development.
Margaret Whitelaw, of the Lenzie Pre-Community Development Trust said the needs of older people with health and social care needs appeared to have been dismissed at a stroke.
She added: “Given the widespread concern over older peoples’ care, this move is inexplicable to say the least.
“It can’t be compared with the Highland Clearances, but it does give the appearance of a rather sophisticated game of ‘Shove your granny off the bus’.” she said. “It is a complete mystery why they are doing this. There has been no consultation and no warning.
The architects behind the original plans accused the health board of cynically seeking a higher bidder, saying: “When the NHS saw our proposals they used them for marketing the site.”
The 60-bed hospital closed in the 1990s and in 1998 East Dunbartonshire Council published a joint Carewell aagreement with the NHS that the site would be used to provide a one-stop shop with services for older people, dementia sufferers and older people with a learning disability.
The innovative care arrangement aimed to meet the needs of the population and break new ground in helping people remain living in their own homes.
Despite little progress, the plan was reaffirmed a decade later when architects were commissioned to design an ambitious development at the former hospital site. This included a 64-bed care home, a day centre, 50 sheltered and very sheltered one- and two-bedroom homes and an eight- person dementia care facility.
The plans had the backing of the local community but by the end of 2010 the designers, Glasgow’s Dallman Johnstone architects had become disillusioned, posting on their website “When the NHS saw our proposals, they used them for marketing the site and sent them out with the packs, rather than the ones they had commissioned.”
The designs had been strong and supported by key players, the practice said. “Unfortunately the highest bid was to use the land for private housing rather than the Planners requirements of an integrated care facility.”
Nevertheless in 2013, another document - again backed by the council and NHS, as well as the local community health partnership - outlined plans for a housing with support project for the location.
But campaigners say everything changed in September 2016 when a private developer, Robertson Homes applied to build 44 large four and five bedroom luxury homes on the site. Although the plan included 24 supported flats, the council’s planning officer recommended rejecting the application because it is not in line with the council’s aim that the site should primarily be used for housing for the elderly and disabled, and will also result in the loss of green belt land.
In December that decision was overturned by senior figures, including council leader Rhonnda Geeky and lady provost Una Walker - to the dismay of local community members who say it will force older people out of the area.
Margaret Whitelaw, of the Lenzie Pre-Community Development Trust said the needs of older people with health and social care needs appeared to have been dismissed at a stroke when the luxury homes application had come in. “Given the widespread concern over older peoples’ care, this move is inexplicable to say the least. It can’t be compared with the Highland Clearances, but it does give the appearance of a rather sophisticated game of ‘Shove your Granny off the Bus’,” she said. “It is a complete mystery why they are doing this. There has been no consultation and no warning.
“The aspirations of the local community are being thwarted. Older people who want to downsize won’t be able to stay here and live near their grandchildren and continue to contribute to the social life of the village. This is breaking up the community.”
Campaigners have launched a petition against the plans and are now to hold a public meeting on Monday.
East Dunbartonshire depute chief executive Thomas Glen said, “The Council’s Planning Board determined to approve this application at a meeting on 20 December 2016 and it is incumbent on officers to implement that decision. The Council is aware of the petition however it has not yet been formally submitted to the Council for consideration... it is important to remember that decisions taken by the Planning Board fall within the Council’s quasi judicial remit, and as such there is limited scope for these decisions to be altered.”
He said the plans did include some affordable sheltered flats for older people, adding: “the Council remains committed to affordable mixed tenure housing to meet the needs of communities both through planning contributions and direct provision.”
A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said “This site has been vacant for over 15 years and since then has been widely marketed on different occasions with no success.” However she claimed as the current proposal include 24 supported flats it was in line with the health board’s and council’s aims for the site.
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