At the public meeting on 30 July, it was suggested that the current hospital site has planning permission for 47 homes. This is not the case.
In July 2013, the site was accepted for 47 homes during consultations on SAMDev – the local plan for development sites. The hospital site had been put forward by the Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust (CHT) on the assumption the site would become vacant when the new hospital was built on the Eco Park.
Of course, the new hospital was never built. The East Hamlet site was dropped from SAMDev because there was no prospect it would become available. It is still designated as employment land. The CHT did not at any point submit a planning application.
Should Ludlow Hospital close – and none of us want that – the site will be treated as a windfall brownfield development. The CHT, or more likely NHS Property Services, will need to apply for planning permission in the usual way. Under current government rules, change of use from employment to housing is unlikely to be a barrier to planning permission.
that is useful clarification Andy but until we have the guaranteed lease or, even better, the return of this land to the Community Trust the hospital remains a plum worth picking. It is more than two years since the Eco Park Development was abandoned through lack of funds and questionable figures for the numbers of patients who would use it and we still do not have the guarantee that would be significant in securing the future of the hospital. Interestingly the land on the Eco Park which was approved for the new hospital is still retained by the Health Service – what is all that about? Finally, despite several approaches under the Freedom of Information Action we have not been able to ascertain just how much money went out on consultants fees and restitution for the developers losses..
Thanks Joyce
I don’t see that, whatever they may have said, that CHT is going to be willing to sign a lease until after Future Fit has made a declaration on whether Ludlow will be a UCC. Their lawyers and financial advisers will advise against that. Why should they take on a 25 year or any other lease when the site might only have a five year life?
This scenario is just like the new hospital plans. We were promised that they were just around the corner, waiting for the paperwork to be signed. Then the paperwork was never signed and the hospital was abandoned.
I am surprised the NHS hasn’t revealed the fees and restitution. Have you tried appealing to the Information Commissioner? This is pubic money and we need to know how much has been wasted. I wouldn’t mind betting its enough to refurbish Ludlow Hospital as a UCC.
Any word when they intend to put out, at least draft Future Fit proposals? Isn’t it now overdue?