An Aberdeen care home is poised to carry out expensive renovations following fears it could be forced to close due to narrow windows leaving residents in the dark.
The historic Persley Castle facility, along the banks of the River Don, dates back to the 18th century.
The eye-catching nature of the fortress-like structure is one of its unique selling points.
But in recent times, that has presented some practical problems…
The narrow window slits, designed to reflect defensive openings used to fire arrows from in medieval castles, don’t let in very much light.
And recent care regulations state that elderly residents should get plenty of natural light in their rooms.
Persley Castle windows approved at meeting
Renaissance Care, who run Persley Castle, recently pleaded for permission to expand some windows at the B-listed building.
They argued that it could be forced to close down if things remain as they are.
During a recent meeting of the council’s planning committee, the application for four bedrooms was waved through.
This came despite some concerns from Historic Environment Scotland that bosses had not done enough to show how the home’s future could be threatened by having small windows.
The organisation said: “It is not clear how the viability of the building would be affected by the loss of one or two bedrooms.”
But being given the council’s unanimous backing, relieved owners are now rolling out upgrades worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
They say these will “secure the future of the 18th century property as a care home for many years to come”.
‘We can now move swiftly’
Details of the dilemma were revealed in our Planning Ahead round-up on Monday.
The site used to be a boarding space for apprentices at the Woodside Cotton Works.
Renaissance Care’s founder and chairman, Robert Kilgour, is pleased the 50 jobs at the home will be safe.
He said: “We can now move swiftly to provide all these much-needed improvements, which will enhance the quality of the home’s facilities.”
You can see the plans here.
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