CONTROVERSIAL plans for a former Castlemilk care home to be converted into temporary asylum seeker accommodation have been refused.

Mack Residential asked Glasgow City Council for permission to provide 200 rooms on the site once occupied by Torbrae Care Home on Bogany Terrace.

But the Council has turned down the application, saying the proposal would have a negative impact on the surrounding area “in terms of the level of disturbance due to traffic and noise”.

The refusal also states the change of use would “be likely to result in unacceptable intensification of activity and alter the residential character of the area”.

Mears Group, which will take over the asylum accommodation contract for Scotland from Serco in September, was the prospective operator of the site.

It will now search for an alternative location within the city.

“The operator’s fall back position will in the short term be to distribute asylum seekers throughout Glasgow, occupying flats and smaller houses within established residential areas,” a letter to the Council reveals.

It will continue to search for a suitable building, which will be repurposed to serve this use.

“This does not diminish the need for a facility in Glasgow. While the UK continues to attract and accept asylum seekers, the need for a good quality interim accommodation facility providing for the needs of asylum seekers undergoing initial assessment will remain.”

The applicant said Torbrae was “the most suitable building identified within the last five years”.

However, more than 640 people had objected to the scheme, with concerns including overcrowding and the lack of consultation arranged by the applicant.

Among those against the idea were councillors for the Linn, Hillhead and Dennistoun wards.

Mack Residential disputed claims, made in representations, that all the occupants would be men, by saying the premises would accommodate families. It also rebutted safety concerns raised by the objectors, claiming they were unsubstantiated, and said the development would put no unreasonable strain on healthcare in the area.

The applicant said: “It is regrettably still a stereotype that facilities such as initial accommodation for asylum seekers bring with them localised increases in crime and antisocial behaviour, despite the common-sense rationale that immediately committing a crime in a country to which one is fleeing from persecution would seem to be exceedingly bone-headed.”