Future Council housing developments

Local housing demand

The Beechgrove housing development is being designed to for affordable housing aimed at older people. It is intended to deliver approximately 40 new homes on the site all of one or two-bedrooms.

The Perth and Kinross Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2025/26 to 2029/30 (PDF, 696 KB) proposes to deliver approximately 1,152 affordable homes over the next five years (an average of 230 homes per year). Local housing demand confirms that there are applicants currently on the waiting list for social housing, requiring house sizes of:

• 1 bed units - 533 applicants
• 2 bed units - 299 applicants
• 3 bed units - 41 applicants

To provide feedback on the proposals for the Beechgrove site visit our consultation hub

Timeline

• March 2018 - decision made to close Beechgrove Care Home due to reduced demand and a move to supporting people to live in their own homes
• April 2019 - Toy Library housed in a standalone building within the site moved out
• 2019 - options appraisal carried out on possible uses for the site
• August 2019 - the last residents moved out of the care home
• February 2020 - Councillors direct officers to carry out a detailed options proposal for the current buildings and site to explore viability for future health and social care and mixed tenure housing
• 2020-2024 - Building used by NHS Tayside for pandemic related services, then as base for community care and treatment services
• November 2023 - Beechgrove House feasibility plan approved by Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee to develop the entire site for a mixed tenure affordable housing development to meet the specific needs of older people
• April 2024 - Procurement process started to appoint a design team to take forward the demolition and design of the new housing
• July 2024 - Design team appointed and outline design process started
• November 2024 - Initial public information event held to share first draft proposals
• February 2025 - Tender process started for demolition contractor
• May 2025 - Public information event held to share draft project proposals prior to these being developed ready for a planning submission.
• May 2025: A public consultation is available online until 30 May for people who could not attend the drop-in event to submit their views. 

Proposed future timeline

These dates are based on the current proposed project programme and may vary as the project progresses:

• August 2025 - Target date for submitting planning application
• September 2025 - Building warrant application process starts
• September 2025 - Demolition work starts
• October 2025 - Planning application decision
• November 2025 - Demolition completed
• November 2025 - Tender process started for appointment of a contractor to build new housing
• December 2025 - Building warrant stages completed
• January 2026 - Contractor appointed
• February 2026 - Construction phase mobilisation
• March 2026 - Construction work commences
• September 2027 - Construction work completed

Updated site plans

Following the previous community information event in November 2024 we tested many different site strategies and unit layouts before coming to the current proposed masterplan. This was to address the feedback we received during the first event, which led us to focusing on reducing the impact of the development on the immediate surroundings and a shift to prioritising older people in the new homes. The site proposal boards (PDF, 2 MB) shared at the public information event on 15 May 2025 show sketch diagrams highlighting these key design alterations, along with an aerial sketch to show the general massing approach. Imagery included on the boards help to provide insights into how certain external spaces could look and feel. Please note that the timeline on the digital boards has been updated slightly from that shown at the events to correct one date and add an additional decisions stage to the printed version.

The plans also show a schedule of accommodation for 9 one and two-bedroom bungalows and 32 one and two-bedroom ground and first floor cottage flats. Overall this provides 41 units, including 5 wheelchair units, with parking allocations for 65 spaces.

Frequently asked questions

When did the former Beechgrove care home close?

In March 2018 the decision was made to close the Residential Care Home. Perth and Kinross Social Care Partnership said that the closure was due to reducing demand and a move to supporting more people to live independently in their own homes, as people prefer to be supported to stay in their own homes longer. The last residents moved out in August 2019.

When did the Toy Library close?

The Toy Library moved out of the building in the grounds of Beechgrove House in April 2019. The charity was quoted as saying that their closure was mainly due to a large decrease in the number of users brought about in part by reduced cost of toys and a move towards high tech toys and games.

When was it decided to demolish the buildings and develop the site for affordable housing?

During 2019 an options appraisal was carried out to look at possible uses for the site. This was concluded in August 2019 when the Councils Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee unanimously agreed to proceed with the option to develop the site as an affordable housing development for around 40 homes aimed at older people.

What was the building used for after August 2019?

The building was used by NHS Tayside in 2020 for services related to the pandemic. Following this in 2021 it was used as the Perth base for NHS Tayside's community care and treatment service.

When was the building officially declared as surplus?

A decision was taken in 2024 by the Director of Places, People & Resources to declare Beechgrove House and the neighbouring Toy Library buildings as surplus to operational requirements.

What is the overall project proposal?

The project is planned to deliver 41 new homes. These will include: 

• 4 x 1-bedroom, 2-person bungalows, 
• 3 x 1-bedroom, 2-person wheelchair standard bungalows, 
• 2 x 2-bedroom, 4-person wheelchair standard bungalows, 
• 16 x 2-bedroom, 3-person amenity/ambulant disabled standard ground floor cottage flats,
• 16 x 2-bedroom, 4-person first floor cottage flats.

Will the new development have sufficient parking provided?

The final scheme layout is still being designed but the intention will be to provide a minimum of 41 car park spaces, more if the layout can accommodate these.

How and when will the project be taken forward? 

The initial outline design has been completed, and the detailed design stage has started. We expect this stage to take 2 to 3 months with a planning application being submitted at the end of this period. 

The planning process will take at least 8 weeks and will consider the proposal in detail covering issues such as the overall look, impact on the surrounding environment, road layouts and parking, surface water and waste water systems and the impact on the existing infrastructure etc. The planning process also considers any objections. Members of the public will have the opportunity to view the plans and make any representations in response to the proposal plans via the planning process, further information on this can be found at here.

A decision should be received in October/November. The project will also go through a process to obtain a building warrant which will start during the planning phase and will extend to early in 2026.

Who will carry out the construction of the new housing?

During the planning phase we will undertake a tendering process to identify and appoint a contractor to take forward the project form the planning stage onwards and to construct the housing. We would hope to have a contractor in place by early 2026.

When will the demolition of the existing buildings happen?

The demolition work is due to start during August/September 2025 with the site being cleared by the end of November in preparation for the new building work starting next year.

When is construction due to start and how long will it take?

We expect construction to start in March/April 2026. The construction is expected to take around 18 to 20 months completing towards the end of 2027, the programme cannot be fully developed for this stage until after the contractor is appointed.

What actions will be taken to minimise disruption during the construction phase?

As part of any planning approval conditions will be set that limit working hours and impose restrictions on working practices that the planning department feel are warranted taking into account the site location. 

In addition, the contractor will produce a project plan that will highlight how they intend to minimise disruption. This will include measures to reduce sound and dust, arrangements for deliveries and other heavy construction traffic movements and site protection and protection of neighbouring buildings and passers-by. This Plan will be reviewed by PKC and our health safety and other consultants to ensure we are happy that the work will be carried out in a safe and considerate way. 

How will the new homes be let by the Council?

The properties will be allocated to people who have applied to the Common Housing Register and will be targeted at older residents. It is intended that a lettings plan will be put in place to manage the targeted letting of this development.

The allocation of new-build properties usually takes place around 2 months before the expected completion date. The properties will be allocated in line with the lettings plan and the Common Allocations Policy which has recently been reviewed with the revised Policy taking effect from April 2025. It is not anticipated that there will be any further revisions to the Policy prior to the completion of these properties. Further information about the Common Housing Register/Policy is available on the Council website here. 

What are the different types of social housing?

Information on the difference types of affordable housing can be found on the types of affordable housing pages of this website.