Scheme centred on Victorian facility in Portsmouth will deliver 209 flats and houses
A planning inspector has approved proposals by developer PJ Livesey to convert a disused Victorian hospital in Portsmouth into new homes.
Plans drawn up PJ Livesey鈥檚 in-house architectural team will see the conversion of grade II-listed parts of St James鈥� Hospital and Chapel to deliver 151 new homes. Under the proposals, non-listed parts will be demolished and a further 58 new-build homes will be built at the 9.54ha site in Southsea.
The conversion specialist鈥檚 appeal was based on Portsmouth City Council鈥檚 failure to determine its application for the scheme, which was first lodged for planning February 2020, in line with government timescales.
In December last year, members of the authority鈥檚 planning committee indicated that they would reject the proposals if they still had the power to determine them. Among the grounds they cited were 鈥渋nsufficient鈥� viability information to support the absence of affordable housing; 鈥渦nacceptable鈥� loss of protected trees; and a lack of information about the scheme鈥檚 habitats strategy.
Allowing PJ Livesey鈥檚 appeal in a , planning inspector Richard McCoy said developments since December meant Portsmouth was no-longer pursuing affordable-housing and habitats-strategy concerns as reasons for refusal.
McCoy said 47 trees would be lost at the site as part of the proposals, but he noted that they were said to be of 鈥減oor quality鈥� and would be replaced by 150 new trees.
The inspector said he agreed with evidence from Portsmouth鈥檚 tree officer, who concluded that 鈥渢here are no arboricultural objections to the proposal鈥�.
McCoy acknowledged that while PJ Livesey鈥檚 scheme would see the restoration of many parts of the hospital, including the mortuary, as part of its conversion to residential use, it would also result in the loss of some historic fabric, as well as the removal of 鈥渦nsightly鈥� later additions.
鈥淚 agree with Historic England and the council鈥檚 conservation officer who concluded in their consultation responses that the proposal would result in a low level of less than substantial harm to St James鈥� Hospital,鈥� he said.
McCoy also noted that the design of the new-build elements of the scheme took a 鈥渄istinctly contemporary鈥� approach, in contrast to the 鈥淏yzantine Gothic鈥� style of George Rake鈥檚 hospital. But he said the contrasting design was not problematic.
鈥淚 consider the discordant approach of the new design would be appropriate, as any attempt to ape the grandeur of the hospital would likely fail at the scale of a domestic building,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n this regard, I agree with the conclusion of the council鈥檚 conservation officer that the designs for each house type would not visually compete with, or fundamentally fail to harmonise with, the hospital building in terms of height, scale, massing, materials and appearance.
鈥淎s such, the proposed new dwellings to the north of the hospital would politely integrate themselves into this setting.鈥�
McCoy said any harm caused to the listed hospital and chapel building would be outweighed by the public benefits of the scheme.
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