£7.9m care complex gets go-ahead for Fife town

The Cupar Care Community is the second of three new developments in the latest phase of Fife Council’s care home replacement programme, with work currently ongoing in Methil and plans also in the pipeline for Anstruther.

As a replacement to the aging Northeden home, Cupar’s new facility will provide a variety of care services to the local community on one site, including residential care, day services, and extra care housing.

Work is due to start on the former Dalgairn Centre site, which has now been cleared, later in 2022, and it will see 12 new extra care housing apartments and a 24-bedded care home created in a combined building set in landscaped grounds.

The plans were formally approved by the north east Fife planning committee, although nine letters of objection had been submitted citing concerns about an increase in traffic, the impact on the environment and the impact the development may have on existing infrastructure.

Calls for a public footpath to the north of the site to connect with any future development threatened to derail the debate at one point, but Cupar councillor Karen Marjoram focused the minds.

“We need to look at what we’re here to do and that’s to see if we’re happy with the application to build what looks to me is a lovely, roomy, light, warm and airy 21st Century facility with great inside space and low carbon use, and delivering to the people of Cupar and surrounding areas a care home that we would all be happy to be residents of," she said.

"Ultimately that’s what we should be looking at."

Councillors then went on to agree the plans, with the council’s head of planning being delegated to come up with the wording for a condition to ensure the footpath in question would be taken forward to link in with any future planned developments in mind.

Councillor Tony Miklinksi noted: “It’s really just common sense. A footpath is going to be there - so make sure it links with what will happen in the future.”

Costs of the facility will be continually monitored, however, as the project’s price tag has already increased from an initially envisaged £6.6 million to just under £7.9 million due to fluctuating construction costs.

A supporting statement from Fife Council explained the rationale behind the proposals.

“The care home and extra care housing will provide sustainable, comfortable and secure residential care within the community according to individuals’ specific needs.

“The new care village approach allows Fife Council to meet a range of different needs in one high quality environment.

“Careful consideration has been given to organise the site by creating a clear distinction between public and private outdoor amenity spaces, and between entrance and service spaces, with a simple, efficiently planned and easy to understand building at its centre.”

The proposed main building will accommodate the 24 bedroom residential care facility with en-suite within two individual units with associated support rooms; a shared services hub; a 10 place day services facility with associated support rooms; a 10 place adult day services facility with associated support rooms, and 12 one bedroom one person apartments with communal and staff facilities.

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