Capability Scotland has defended its plans to build a new 60-bed care home on the Perth Leisure Pool site. The proposals include around 100 flats across six blocks and a new residential care facility for the charity.
Objections raised over flood risk and contamination
A campaigner from These People Deserve Better has raised concerns about flood risk, land contamination, parking and public safety. The group has called on Capability Scotland, Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) and local councillors to publish a full, independent comparison of alternative sites before pressing ahead.
Douglas Spowart, from the campaign group, submitted a detailed personal objection to Capability Scotland and PKC, based on planning documents and a geo-environmental assessment of the site. His objection highlights flooding concerns, noting that the Glover Street site suffered significant flooding in August 2020.
Perth Community Flood Aid said in its planning objection: "Residents of a care facility for those with complex needs should not be housed in a new development, on previously undeveloped land, with any risk of flooding, let alone 10 per cent annually and only half of the recommended freeboard allowance."
Capability Scotland responds to concerns
Capability Scotland's director of Services and Business Development, Callum MacGregor, said: "The people we support are at the heart of every decision we make, and their safety, wellbeing and quality of life remain our top priority throughout this project.
"Upper Springland is ageing and carries an ongoing flood risk that makes long-term investment there unsustainable, which is why we began looking at alternative locations.
"Before focusing on Glover Street, we assessed numerous alternative sites both in Perth and the wider Perthshire area, including Bertha Park, however, it was concluded the site at Bertha Park was no longer viable due to changes in the associated development costs.
"We believe Glover Street offers the best opportunity for a safe, long-term community that is genuinely accessible – close to local services, transport links and the heart of Perth – for the people we support, their families and our staff. The site's flood risk has already been reviewed as part of the planning process, with no objection raised, subject to standard drainage conditions. This process, alongside scrutiny from statutory consultees and regulatory bodies, provides further independent scrutiny of the assessments carried out on this site before any final decisions are made.
"Contamination, parking and construction impacts are also being worked through as part of the formal planning process and we'll continue to provide clear updates as that progresses. Our residents deserve nothing less than getting this right, and that's precisely what we intend to do."
Planning process and next steps
In June 2025, Perth and Kinross councillors voted to progress plans to demolish Perth Leisure Pool and build Perth's new £74 million leisure centre PH2O at the site of the Thimblerow car park. Anderson Bell Christie Architects submitted plans for Capability Scotland to build a residential facility on the Perth Leisure Pool car park and play park site.
The proposal is to build a residential care development with 60 apartments, a community hub and staff facilities to replace the charity's current Upper Springland site on Isla Road. It is understood there would be around 40 to 45 spaces at the Glover Street site, while Upper Springland currently has 70 parking spaces.
The plans have received over 30 objections, including from Live Active Leisure's former chairman David Maclehose, Perth Community Flood Aid and the organiser of Perth's annual Model Railway Exhibition. The Save Perth Sports and Leisure Centre at Glover Street campaign has held two recent drop-in events and its petition now has almost 8000 signatures.
Spowart has also questioned the safety of building on contaminated land, with carbon dioxide readings of up to 13.8 per cent and methane up to 4.2 per cent recorded in monitoring wells. A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: "All representations and objections submitted will be considered before any planning decision is made."
