Historic Wellingborough hospital building to be torn down for flats

Southwood House in Doddington Road, Wellingborough.
-Credit:Google Maps


Developers have got the green light to demolish a historic Wellingborough building that once served the community as a medical facility. Furious residents submitted objections asking the council to protect the town's heritage.

The Southwood House care home, known as Wellingborough Cottage Hospital, will be demolished and replaced with a two-storey apartment block containing 26 flats for over 55s. North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) approved the controversial plans on Wednesday, January 22, after two hours of debate.

The Doddington Road building has been praised for its heritage locally, but did not pass the Secretary of State's test to be marked as a listed building. The hospital originally opened in 1900 before becoming a care home in the 1980s. More than 100 letters objecting to the proposals were submitted to the council against tearing down the iconic building.

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One objector adressed councillors at the meeting: "This building holds huge historic interest to the town of Wellingborough. It was used as a hospital until the 1980s which is now needed more than ever to provide a minor injuries unit to relieve pressure on the NHS's A&E services.

"Given the rather significant number of objections against this development, they have no business knocking this building down when there are plenty of other places suitable for development within the county."

Cllr Tim Allebone voiced concerns, saying that he was "uneasy" about the application. He continued: "I'm old enough to remember Wellingborough when it was a traditional market town and I won't say it's been trashed, but I think over the decades it's been unsympathetically developed.

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"We've lost so many buildings. You can't get them back, that ship's long gone, but it would be a shame to lose more. I would suggest that more investigation should be done in the retention of the facade of the building.

"Of course, it does come down to money. It's so much easier to simply demolish something and start again. In some ways it's laziness I think, it's a lack of effort to try and compromise by exploring other options."

Speaking on behalf of applicant Mark Birkin from Sanctuary Housing Association, a planning agent told councillors: "The applicant explored the retention of the existing building – the options were either unviable, unpractical or undeliverable. Without redevelopment, the building would remain unoccupied and is likely to become a target for anti-social behaviour."

Cllr Graham Lawman proposed deferring a decision on the plans to review viability documents and see the evidence that it would not be possible to retain the building. His motion fell when members were told that they would be at risk of the applicant appealing to the planning inspectorate for non-determination.

Officers also informed councillors that demolition of the Southwood House would currently be possible without planning permission as it is not protected as a non-designated heritage asset.

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Cllr Jon-Paul Carr argued that the building's heritage wasn't just about its architecture, but also its connection within the town. "It was donated to the town, it was given to the town. I think there's a little bit of a lack of imagination here," he added. "To the people of Wellingborough this is something which is a cultural building that people like within the streetscape. I've got great concerns about it."

In a split decision, the planning committee ultimately decided to follow officer's advice and approve the demolition plans for the former Cottage Hospital. The flats will be 100 per cent affordable housing and financial contributions will be made to the Special Protection Area (SPA), Waendel swimming pool, Redwell Leisure Centre and nearby parks under Section 106 agreements.