PROPOSALS which could see 24 retirement flats built on the derelict Pershore Cottage Hospital site will be revealed at a meeting in the town.
Developers Churchill Retirement Living will hold a public consultation on May 12 from 5pm to 7pm for residents to air their views.
The event will take place at Pershore and District Sports Club on Defford Road and will allow residents to view the plans which could breathe new life into the historic area.
Developers hope to secure planning permission for their proposals for apartments which cater for older people looking for an independent lifestyle.
The hospital has stood derelict on Defford Road following its closure more than ten years ago.
Concerned town councillors spoke out at a meeting last December and expressed their desire to see a part or parts of the historical building retained before it is potentially demolished.
Members hoped a retention of the building would be a mark of respect to those who founded the hospital which was built in 1895 following a fund-raising campaign by the people of Pershore.
Pershore Mayor-elect Tony Rowley called for parts of the town’s former hospital to be retained to form a memorial as part of the site’s redevelopment.
He urged Pershore Town Council to request for talks with any prospective new owners of the Pershore Cottage Hospital after it was placed on the market by former owners NHS Property Services.
“Such discussions should involve a memorial as part of the redevelopment by way of either retention of part or parts of the building or utilising significant building materials derived from the building to mark the sighting of the Cottage Hospital and in memory of all those Pershore people involved in the forming of the hospital.” he said.
Former Mayor Coun Charles Tucker said: “There is a feeling that we want to preserve as much of it as we possibly can. Many people in the town remember it with great fondness.”
Coun Rowley’s proposal at the meeting was backed by fellow councillors and, after the meeting, Patricia Freeman, chairman of the Friends of Pershore Hospital, told the Observer the proposal was a ‘wonderful’ idea.
Visit www.churchillretirement.co.uk or call 0800 458 1856 for more information on the plans.
* What do you think? E-mail [email protected] with your views.
