Ministers reject nursing home extension bid

A CONTROVERSIAL nursing home has had an application to extend its capacity rejected by the Scottish Government.

The Ashley Court Nursing Home, on Craighouse Terrace, had wanted to add nine rooms to its already substantial complex in a leafy Morningside suburb.

Local residents complained, saying it would spoil the character of the street and councillors rejected the application last year.

But nursing home management launched an appeal to the Scottish Government which was subject to a hearing at the Braid Hills Hotel.And in a decision released recently, ministers rejected the appeal, much to the relief of neighbours who said their lives would have been ruined by the extension.

One campaigner, Dr Peter Gibson, said: "I thought the hearing went quite well and neighbours gave a good performance, but you just never know which way a decision will go.

"It's a huge relief but the concern is they will remove a couple of door handles and resubmit another application next year."

Ashley Court was the subject of an undercover Evening News investigation on the quality of nursing homes in the city.