FOLLOWING an exhibition at the Laverton this month, local residents have poured scorn on the NHS’s plans to sell Westbury Community Hospital to housing developers.
The plans showed the NHS’s intention to apply for outline planning permission for 72 houses on the 2.3 hectare site, before offering it to housing developers.
The plans have come under further fire this week as it has emerged that a new site is being sought for a permanent home for 20 specialist hospital dementia care beds in Wiltshire but Westbury Hospital has not been considered.
The hospital, which was officially closed in 2007 then decommissioned in 2012, was transferred to NHS Property Services in 2013. It was declared ‘surplus to requirement’ by the health service following the development of the White Horse Health Centre, and no other public bodies expressed an interest in using the site.
The potential destruction of the hospital buildings has caused turmoil in the town because it would squash any hopes of the site ever being re-used by the health services.
Speaking about this month’s exhibition at the Laverton, NHS property services asset manager Leslie Warren said, “It was a constructive meeting and we welcome the range of views about the draft proposals for the former Westbury Hospital site.
“As owners of this vacant site, which takes valuable NHS funds to maintain, our role is to ensure best value for the taxpayer and the NHS.
“The site has been empty since 2012 and has been declared surplus to NHS requirements by healthcare commissioners.
“The site was advertised on the Register of Surplus Public Sector Property and ePIMS (Electronic Property Information Management System) for 8 weeks (40 working days). No other public sector organisations expressed an interest in the property.
“We will work with local authorities on planning issues – including access and potential developer contributions towards local services – while finalising an application for outline planning permission, and we will continue to focus on delivering the best use of this site.”
Many residents insist that the hospital is needed by the growing population in the town. The NHS Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), however, are satisfied that the town’s healthcare needs are met by the new surgery on Mane Way.
A spokesperson for the group said, “Information about the transfer of services to the new White Horse Health Centre was shared widely and publicly in Westbury and the surrounding villages before, during, and after the closure of the hospital.
“Since the time of its opening in 2013, many additional services have been introduced. The state-of-the-art health centre was designed and built with the support of the town council and will serve the local community for many years to come.
“Local patients are supported to keep well closer to their own homes for longer, in order to avoid them having to be admitted to hospital.”
Dr Debbie Beale, senior partner at White Horse Medical Centre said “Westbury Hospital was a well-loved institution that provided many local services, which are now provided within Westbury and some in Warminster.
“The new health centre has improved our primary care facilities and the practice continues to work with the community team, local trusts and CCG to continue to provide services as locally as possible to the people of Westbury and Wiltshire.
“We are particularly excited by the development of a drop-in x-ray service run by Salisbury NHS trust on a Monday and Wednesday, which has already avoided admissions and visits to the local A&E department.”
The planning permission will include a proportion of affordable housing, where possible, and states that it will maintain the area’s surrounding plant life to minimise the visual impact of the development.
The NHS’s plans do not mention any changes to vehicular access to the site, but claim that traffic generated by 72 new households will not be an issue.
The official document said, “Based upon analysis using the TRICS database, which is the nationally recognised method of assessing development trip generation, the proposed development will result in a reduction in trips to and from the site when compared to the previous hospital use.”
The hospital had regularly been the subject of funding cuts and closure threats, prior to its shut down in 2007.
In 1994 a Westbury Health Forum-organised march saw 200 people take to the streets of Westbury to protest at the proposed closing of the hospital. The march was a success, but the following years would see cuts made and wards and services closed.
Then in 2005, the same year that the League of Friends’ donation total reached £1million, the hospital began its final decline.
Hundreds of people marched again to try and save their hospital, but the stroke unit and day hospital were closed, followed by the unannounced removal of patients. Finally, in February 2007, Westbury Community Hospital closed its doors for the last time.
The plans for the hospital site can be viewed at www.property.nhs.uk, and comments from the League of Friends and local residents can here.
