South Ayrshire Council approved two controversial retrospective planning applications to convert a historic Ayrshire care home into a drug and alcohol rehab centre, overriding fierce local opposition and last-minute legal challenges.

The council’s Regulatory Panel (Planning) voted five to three in favour of both proposals at Townend House in Symington on Thursday, 2 April 2026. Months of procedural wrangling preceded the vote, with the matter deferred twice before councillors finally reached a decision.

What the Drug and Alcohol Rehab Centre Plans Covered

Healthcare provider Enhance Healthcare submitted the two retrospective applications. The first covered interior alterations to the listed building, including 17 new en-suite bathrooms. The second sought permission for a car park and associated hardstandings. Workers had nearly finished both projects by the time the panel met.

Neither application mentioned the site’s intended future role as a drug and alcohol rehab centre. Enhance Healthcare plans to repurpose Townend House into a residential treatment centre providing care for up to 24 residents on a 12-week programme.

Community Opposition to the Drug and Alcohol Rehab Centre

The proposals attracted strong public pushback. Over 800 people signed an online petition against the plans. Residents also lodged scores of formal objections with the council. Many argued the applications went far beyond listed building consent and represented a material change of use at the mid-19th century property.

Campaign figurehead Victor Strachan wrote to planning chiefs days before the hearing, citing “formal procedural concerns.” Solicitors Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP supported his challenge. They argued the applicants had not submitted ecological baseline information, had not provided a Heritage Impact Assessment, and had offered no evidence to rule out a material change of use.

Mr Strachan said: “The application has been marked by a level of inaccuracy, omission, and poor quality information that falls far below what residents are entitled to expect.”

Car Park Built on Land the Applicants Do Not Own

A council addendum report revealed the newly built car park partly sits on land outside the applicants’ ownership. Residents had raised this concern in their objections and backed it up with title plans. Officers initially dismissed those objections as “not material.” The addendum later confirmed residents were right.

Mr Strachan said the addendum contained “factual inaccuracies, including statements contradicted by evidence.” He asked the Panel to request the application be withdrawn and resubmitted once accurate plans, ownership details, and an operating model were in place.

Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP agreed, telling the council the application “should be deferred.”

How the Panel Voted on the Drug and Alcohol Rehab Centre

Councillor Martin Kilbride proposed approval for the listed building consent application after objectors made representations at the morning session. Councillor George Weir seconded the motion. Five panel members voted in favour and three voted against.

The second application followed the same pattern. Councillor Kilbride again proposed approval, with Councillor Clark seconding. The vote split five to three once more.

Councillor Ian Cavana made clear his frustration during the debate. He described the retrospective applications as “de ja-vu” and said residents and the panel had been treated as “second class citizens.”

“I have never seen so many differences in an application,” he said. “Where do we draw the line? To hear about the retrospective nature of these proposals, then be told you cannot change it because it has been done.”

The panel also agreed to Councillor Duncan Townson’s request that planning officers write to Enhance Healthcare about the authority’s concerns over due process.

The Broader Context

Scotland recorded 1,172 drug misuse deaths in 2023, the highest rate in Europe according to the National Records of Scotland. That figure underlines the urgent demand for residential care options, including dedicated alcohol and drug rehabilitation facilities like the one proposed at Townend House.

Enhance Healthcare’s Managing Director Andy Jamieson has argued the drug and alcohol rehab centre would fill a genuine gap. He said Townend House would offer a “safe, supportive environment” that “research and lived experience show can save lives, reduce harm, and help people reconnect with their families and communities.”

Mr Strachan acknowledged the scale of Scotland’s drug crisis but separated the principle from the process. “Everyone recognises the scale of Scotland’s drug crises,” he said. “This is not about who does and who does not want to save lives. The issue is that the applicant is using a national tragedy to justify a proposal that is irrational, unsupported by evidence, and pushed forward without transparency or engagement.”

Enhance Healthcare now holds planning approval for the drug and alcohol rehab centre, but questions around due process remain live. The council’s decision to write formally to the company shows the controversy is far from over.

Source: dbrecoveryresources