Developer claims work has started on 'eyesore' former hospital in Northampton - despite its abandoned condition

The developer responsible for transforming the former St Edmunds Hospital on Wellingborough Road claims that work has started, despite evidence suggesting little to no significant progress on the site for years.

The site, which has been empty and in a state of disrepair for years, was granted planning permission in 2017 for a large retirement village and specialist care facilities.

The project, led by Hampton Healthcare Ltd, owned by Rochmills Ltd based at Burlington House in Wellingborough Road, includes demolishing some buildings and converting the historic former workhouse into care apartments.

In a recent application to West Northamptonshire Council (WNC), Hampton Healthcare submitted a Certificate of Lawfulness to confirm they have met a key condition that the development must begin within a specific timeframe.

The application claims the project has legally started, pointing to partial demolition, repairs to the boundary wall, and protective works on the listed workhouse building as proof.

However, a visit to the site shows little sign of major construction, with the buildings still looking abandoned and overgrown.

Planning law states that development is considered to have started only if significant actions, like digging trenches, building construction, or demolition, have been carried out.

While the developers argue that partial demolition and protective measures for the listed building meet these requirements, the state of the site raises doubts.

Commenting, Labour councillor Danielle Stone, whose ward this issue lies in, said: "People feel insulted by the neglect of this site and the ever-present eyesore."

Councillor Stone added: “They are tired of all the excuses given for the lack of development. It is a prime town centre site that should be used for the benefit of the community, either developed as a retirement village or for social housing. WNC should buy the land and take on the development.”

WNC has yet to decide on the Certificate of Lawfulness. If approved, it would confirm that the development is legally considered to have started, preventing the planning permission from lapsing.

If the council rejects it, the planning permission could lapse, and the developers may need to submit a new application or face further delays in the project.

Last year, WNC said a compulsory purchase is ‘not an approach it would consider at this time’. WNC has been contacted for comment again.

Hampton Healthcare has not responded to this newspaper’s request for comment.

The last update from Rochmills Ltd came in February 2022, stating that despite Covid causing delays, it was ‘looking forward’ to restarting works.