'Outrage' over 'lack of progress' at former hospital in Northampton supposedly being converted into huge retirement home

A councillor is ‘outraged’ over the ‘lack of progress’ at converting a vacant former hospital in Northampton into a retirement village for hundreds of pensioners.

The massive St Edmund’s Hospital site, in Wellingborough Road, has stood derelict for 20 years and counting.

In 2017, developers Rochmills Limited – owned by Jatinder Singh Sehmi, Kabir Upkar Singh Sehmi, and Tej Paul Singh Sehmi – received planning permission to convert the site into a 130-apartment retirement village and 62-bed specialist care home.

Construction work had started in 2018 through Northamptonshire based builders Holland Build, the first phase of which was completed at the start of 2022.

However little else seems to have happened. The site is still an eyesore in a prominent part of town and is still not being used during an adult social care crisis.

So what has Rochmills Ltd said? Nothing. Despite multiple attempts from this newspaper for comment, the firm has ignored emails and diverted phone calls requesting an update.

The last update from Rochmills Ltd came in February 2022, which said that despite Covid causing delays to the project, it was ‘looking forward’ to restarting works and that a planning application was set to be submitted for the rear of the site later that year.

However, no new plans have been submitted for the site and little to no work appears to have happened at the former hospital as of July 2023.

In July 2020, Labour councillor Danielle Stone says she was told by Rochmills Ltd that works will 'start shortly'. Three years on and the councillor is fuming with the lack of progress at the site which lies within her ward.

Councillor Stone said: “I have raised the issue of lack of progress on this site with West Northants Council (WNC) many times.

“I do know the owners are investing in Woburn and other places, so they have investment funds. I also know no business rates are paid on this site. I am outraged by both these things.

"I have called on the council to negotiate buying the site or if that fails going for a compulsory purchase order.”

Responding to councillor Stone, WNC said a compulsory purchase is ‘not an approach it would consider at this time’.

A WNC spokesman said: “Compulsory purchase is always a last resort and the council would need clear grounds to pursue this.

"Additionally the council would need a viable development scheme, planning permission, funding and a delivery strategy in place.

“The site is privately owned by a developer with planning permission already in place, which gives it an existing value. Compulsory purchase is not an approach the council would consider at this time.

“It was removed from the business rates list in 1999 after it was declared derelict and has remained off the list since. This situation will be addressed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) once the work is considered complete.”

Rochmills Ltd is also advertising that it will be ‘breaking ground’ at a new care home in Woburn, Buckinghamshire later this year.

Hampton Healthcare’s website, owned by Rochmills Ltd, says: “We are pleased to announce that we will soon be breaking ground on our new development at the Woburn Sands development in Woburn later this year. This facility will provide high end and quality residential care in an iconic and state of the art facility.”

There was no mention of St Edmunds Hospital on Hampton Healthcare’s website.