Plans to remodel a former non-public hospital into housing have been revealed.
The Somerfield Hospital in London Highway, Maidstone, shut its doorways to sufferers in April final yr, with operator BMI Healthcare cancelling procedures at quick discover.
Now builders Even Group are understood to be in talks with Maidstone Borough Council over a proposal to transform the two.5-acre website into greater than 70 properties.
A design report produced by Den Structure outlines a mixture of flats and homes for the previous medical buildings, which embody Grade II listed Somerfield Home.
Nevertheless some buildings on the location may very well be earmarked for demolition to make approach for the brand new housing.
Conservative councillor for Bridge ward, Jonathan Purle, stated: “A couple of fortnight in the past once I had patchier particulars, I circulated an e mail to a couple dozen close by residents.
“There was basic acceptance of the precept of utilizing the location for residential, it beats churning up historical woodland, however numerous points arose. Apart from improvement fatigue and native providers pressure, these embody privateness issues for speedy neighbours, parking and site visitors issues, and concern for the character and aesthetics.
“It is necessary to emphasize that simply because the precept of re-using a ‘brownfield website’ like this for housing has an inevitability about it, it doesn’t suggest we now have to just accept the primary proposal or let it go unamended.”
Cllr Purle has requested individuals residing near the hospital website to let him know their views on redevelopment for housing.
At this stage no formal planning software has been submitted to the borough council, and it’s not identified what provision can be made for reasonably priced housing.
The 38-bed hospital closed after dropping sufferers to different healthcare suppliers within the county city, inflicting what have been described on the time as “monetary challenges”.
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