Hyndburn signs off hospital clearance

Closed in 2024, Accrington’s Victoria Hospital will now be levelled, making way for replacement health facilities.

Prior approval was sought by PWA Planning on behalf of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust for the demolition and clearance of the 3.4-acre Haywood Road site.

As described in the planning officer report, the Victoria hospital is a substantial redbrick building in the Renaissance style, with numerous additions and amendments since its 1898 construction, when it opened as a cottage hospital. It is described as a non-designated heritage asset.

The site is bound by Queen’s Road to the north, Haywood Road to the east, Garden Street to the south and Whalley Road to the west. There is a terrace of dwellings to the south-west corner of the block, which is outside of the red-line boundary. The surrounding area is predominantly residential.

In its planning statement, PWA said that the project team want to “facilitate the urgent clearance and remediation of the site”, as “the existing buildings are vacant and have deteriorated significantly, giving rise to health, safety and security concerns, including unauthorised access, vandalism, and the presence of hazardous materials”.

Burnley-based construction and maintenance group Ring Stones provided the demolition statement now rubber-stamped by officers.

A project profile of Accrington Victoria on Ring Stones’ website details how the firm is gearing up for the community-led redevelopment of the site, a project the firm describes as being similar in ways to the Dovestone Gardens extra care scheme it has worked on in Burnley.

Ring Stones said: “Working in partnership with East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, we’re preparing to transform the former Accrington Victoria Hospital site into a modern, community‑focused space.

“While the historic building can no longer be safely restored, key Victorian features will be carefully preserved, ensuring the much‑loved legacy of ‘Accy Vic’ is carried into a new chapter.”

An update posted by the NHS trust spoke of the working group on the site’s future. This involves local patient representatives, local MP Sarah Smith, the council, Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board and Ring Stones’ parent group Calico.

The group’s vision is based around health, with retail and market housing ruled out. Stated priorities are to:

• Secure approval for a GP practice to return to the site
• Work with partners to secure further health services, including those focused on helping the elderly and those with long term conditions
• Aim to create flexible spaces for health or community activity such as drop-in clinics or events including a café
• Provide homes which support local people, such as frail or elderly residents or those who need extra care to support them to live independently in the community for as long as possible.

Documents relating to the project can be viewed on Hyndburn Council’s planning portal, reference 11/26/0283.