Bootham Park Hospital should be saved for the public use of York residents, says the council leader.
It is now back on the market after developers ERL pulled out of its scheme to turn the Grade I listed former psychiatric hospital into retirement flats.
The 18-acre estate is still part of the NHS, being owned by government body NHS Property Services. It has now put it back on the market, for sale to private developers.
But Cllr Claire Douglas, City of York Council leader, says Bootham Park should be brought back into public use.
“We’re pretty aligned across the city. It is not just us,” she told YorkMix.
“The York Civic Society, other figures within the city, our MP Rachael Maskell – we think it should be there for the public good.
“We’d like to see something that brings benefit to the city and that the green space is maintained for access for the public.
“It’s the beating green heart in the city centre, so we really would really want to see that maintained.”
Fill the health gap
Cllr Douglas said her preference would be for the former hospital, which dates back to 1777, to be brought back for public health use.
“If it were used for a health benefit, we would be really supportive of that. There’s plenty of need in York, and we need to fill that gap.”
The executive member for housing, planning and safer communities Cllr Michael Pavlovic said: “It’s owned of course by the state – by NHS Property Services.
“So the government could choose to allow it to be developed for the public good should they should they wish to.
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“I know that Rachael Maskell’s had meetings with NHS Property Services. But at the moment, the plan is that it will go back out onto the market and they will try to find another highest bidder developer.”
He added: “It’s a Grade I public asset and some members of the planning committee had significant concerns about the plans when when they were brought forward about the impact that would have on the historic setting.
“Where it’s situated, it could be used for a health purposes, and have the green space as well so schools and the public could really benefit from it – were that a priority and a decision from from government.”
A campaign to save Bootham Park for the city was launched in 2018 when it was first put up for sale, but it was unsuccessful.
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