Promenade Estates lines up Basford House turnaround

Parts of the former Stretford Memorial Hospital would be demolished as the developer looks to advance a residential project centred on the 1860-built mansion.

The developer is preparing an application, outlining how demolition is necessary for elements of the estate due to their dangerous condition. This will allow further investigations into Basford House, which might be in danger of collapsing.

Cre8 Land & Planning and Stephen Levrant Heritage Architecture are advising.

Promenade said it will strive to retain the mansion as part of its ambitions for housing on the 2.5-acre site, which it acquired in October 2022 from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.

“The whole estate had lain empty for around seven years when we bought it and the buildings are in a very poor state of repair,” said Daniel Hynd, managing director of Promenade.

“We have not been able to survey many of them properly because they are in such a dangerous condition, but what we have unearthed has confirmed their need to be demolished.

“Basford House might still be saved if we can act quickly.  Its internal timber has been condemned and by demolishing the modern buildings around it, we will be able to make it sufficiently stable to complete our survey work safely.  An exterior wall has already collapsed, and further deterioration is inevitable unless we can secure permission to intervene promptly.”

Hynd said that Promenade stands ready to invest more than £100,000 on interventions to keep the building standing.  “The application for prior notification to demolish is much quicker than seeking planning permission and time really is of the essence here. We’ve been working closely with the local authority and have kept them fully abreast of the issues and our plans.”

The company’s portfolio of projects includes other restorations, including Liverpool’s grade two*-listed art deco former airport terminal.

Hynd said: “We want to bring much-needed quality housing to the area whilst delivering on our successful ‘brownfield-first’ strategy.

“When we come to submit our planning application our hope is that Basford House will be central to the whole development and that our designs are sensitive to this local heritage asset.”

Basford House was constructed for Manchester cotton baron Henry Beecroft Jackson in 1860 and served as a staging hospital during World War I, then a maternity hospital, before it switched to geriatric care.