Published: Wednesday, 3rd March, 2010 4:00pm

Care home not the answer for site

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I refer to the front page article in the Times on 11th February regarding the former Co-op building in Cocklaw Street/Sneddon Court, Kelty.

At the outset your readers should be aware that the owner, Mr Saleem, has had planning permission since 2006 to erect 10 flats on this site (Planning Application 06/02153/FULL refers).

This was granted despite there being what I understood to be two breaches of planning regulations:a. The applicant did not inform the neighbours; and; b. Fife Council approved the application despite there being insufficient garden size.

It is ironic that despite the breaches of planning regulations Mr Saleem chose not to develop the site.

There is currently a planning application to construct a 20 bed care home - presumably more lucrative than flats. There are, however, a number of concerns about this proposal.

Councillor Alex Rowley has expressed concern about parking in Kelty Main Street and surrounding area.

Since then Kelty and Blairadam Ex-Servicemen's Club have sold off most of their parking area (now neatly fenced off) to a developer which has greatly exacerbated parking difficulties in the vicinity of the proposed development.

The applicant's consultant, in his supporting statement, said that "the proposed new building will provide a much needed local facility".

A telephone call to Benarty View, the existing care home in Kelty, however, revealed that this is simply not true. Benarty View has not been running at full capacity for some time largely due to the erection of a 40 bed extension at Ben Ore care home in Lochore.

Sneddon Court is not a good site for a care home. The first consideration for any care home should be the patients' welfare. Looking out of their bedroom window onto a three storey block of flats will not be a particularly edifying experience for them.

Conversely some bedrooms will be overlooked by some of the flats in the block. It would be like living in a goldfish bowl.

The site needs developing but this is not a suitable proposal. To build a care home for which there is no demand, in an area beset with parking difficulties makes little sense.

The applicant should use his existing permission to build flats on this site which would be a far more appropriate development for the area.

JAMES C M MARTIN,

Cocklaw Street, Kelty.