WESTBURY’S former hospital went back on sale last week as a ‘prime residential development opportunity’ after a bitter campaign to try and save it was unsuccessful.
NHS Property Services has the site listed on its website and estate agents Carter Jonas and Kavanaghs are marketing the area as ‘land for sale’ with outline planning permission for up to 58 houses.
The site is nearly 5.7 acres and includes the hospital buildings, car park and some nearby grassland.
The agents have set up a webpage especially for the sale at www.thebuttswestbury.com The home page reads, “The former Westbury and District Hospital is a redundant healthcare facility in Westbury, Wiltshire. The site is in the ownership of the NHS and is being considered as a site for redevelopment by the owner.”
Wiltshire Council gave consent for the housing scheme after approximately 18 months of deliberations and planning changes.
Councillors approved the application in the face of fierce objections from local people who said the town needs more healthcare and that the hospital should have been reopened or partly used for health services.
After the decision, angry campaigners slammed the council for being ‘undemocratic’ and said it was “impossible to beat a system which fails to listen to the people who will be most affected”.
A spokesman for NHS Property Services said, “We have been working closely with Wiltshire Council to finalise documentation after the authority granted outline planning consent in September 2016.
“Our role is to secure best value on behalf of the NHS for this empty and vacant property and we will therefore be marketing the site from Thursday 9th February, with informal tenders invited before the end of March.”
