Haslar hospital sold to create a veterans' village
The Royal Haslar Hospital has been sold to developers who will build a 'veterans' village and are committed to keeping care and medical facilities at the site, The News can reveal.
The Ministry of Defence sold Haslar yesterday afternoon for an undisclosed fee to Our Enterprise - a company specialising in bringing charities, social investors and the public sector together for large developments.
In a meeting with Gosport councillors last night, Our Enterprise pledged their commitment towards ambitious plans for the site.
They include a partnership with veterans' charities to build a village for retired service personnel.
There are also proposals for new education facilities for the University of Portsmouth.
The company is drafting in two of the country's leading cancer and dementia specialists, Professor Karol Sikora and Professor Robin Jacoby, to develop a centre of excellence for rehabilitation and care at the hospital, which will include a dementia ward for 44 people.
The announcement follows a high-profile 10-year campaign to save the 250-year-old military hospital, which was closed by the Ministry of Defence in July.
The news that medical facilities are to remain at the site has been welcomed by Councillor Peter Edgar, of the Save Haslar Task Force group.
After a meeting with Our Enterprise last night, he said: 'It's a very encouraging project. My big dream is that in 250 years time, people will be celebrating 500 years of care on this site. Our Enterprise have definitely picked up on the affection local people hold this site in.'
Andy Feculak, design director of Our Enterprise, who met with Gosport councillors last night, told The News plans for the site include a retirement community and village for veterans, specialist care facilities, accommodation and education buildings for university students and a four-star hotel with small conferencing capabilities.
There are also plans for publicly accessible garden squares and a Haslar heritage centre displaying the history of the hospital.
Mr Feculak said: 'We strongly believe the site needs a vibrant mix of uses.'
However, he warned plans are still at a 'formative stage'.
'It's got to go through most of the planning processes with the local authority but they committed today to make this move forward quite quickly,' he said.
'Hopefully, it will take six to eight months and we can move forward with the development plan thereafter.'
In the meantime, Our Enterprise will be renting out 13 properties on short leases in the listed buildings on the site.
EMPLOYMENT BOOST
The redevelopment of The Royal Haslar Hospital is set to boost employment in the area.
Our Enterprise, who bought the site yesterday, is working in partnership with national employment charity Tomorrow's People - which helps people out of long-term unemployment and welfare dependency and into jobs and self-sufficiency.
The charity will be working to get unemployed people in Gosport back in to work through training and job opportunities at the new facilities planned for the site.
Debbie Scott, chief executive of Tomorrow's People, said: 'We work with the most marginalised individuals helping them turn their lives around through work. The continuing care community for veterans and ex-services personnel offers a wonderful opportunity to make a real difference.' Gosport councillor Peter Edgar, who fought to save Haslar hospital, is backing the plans. He said: 'The people of Gosport want jobs for local people and want people to go back to living and working on the site as people have done over the last 250 years.'
Following the sale of Haslar, Our Enterprise's chairman Charles Green said: 'We have spent two years developing this scheme and I have to thank all of those individuals who have helped us to get where we are today. We also congratulate the MoD and the Secretary of State for making what we believe to be the right decision for the community, and now look forward to developing a scheme, a bright future for this historical site for the next 250 years.'
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Friday 25 May 2012
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