Hospital site ready for next chapter
“With a site like this the big house builders can be wary about the uncertainty of costs”
STEWART TAYLOR
SENIOR DIRECTOR, CBRE
Opportunities to create a new village don’t come along very often, but the sale of the former Bangour Village Hospital in Dechmont, West Lothian, offers just that.
The site, which comprises 215 acres of land and 15 listed buildings including the A-listed church and recreation hall, together with 30 non-listed buildings, is being marketed by property consultants CBRE and Justin Lamb Associates, on behalf of the NHS.
Initial interest has been sufficient to set a closing date of 27 June.
It is a fascinating site. The hospital was designed by architect Hippolyte Blanc and built in the early 1900s as the Edinburgh District Asylum.
It was a self-contained community supported by its own amenities which included village shops, a school and library and even a railway.
The hospital was requisitioned by the War Office in both world wars and became a general hospital with a world-leading burns and plastic surgery unit.
Its maternity facilities once served the whole of West Lothian but the facility closed completely in 2004.
The Scottish Futures Trust has been working with NHS Lothian to develop and deliver a strategy for the sale of the site with a focus on working up a commercially viable plan.
It provides a unique development opportunity in the Central Belt with the potential for up to 800 new homes and the conversion of existing buildings into further 91 residential units.
An application for planning permission in principle for a residential and mixed-use development has been submitted to Westlothiancouncilproposing these 891 residential units and including affordable housing, a primary school and 1,000sq m of ancillary use with a decision expected this summer. In the meantime, Stewart Taylor, senior director of CBRE’S advisory and transaction team, says that interest in the sale is coming from house builders and those who want to advance the plans further before selling it on.
He says: “With a site like this the big house builders can be wary about the uncertainty of costs, the complexities of dealing with listed buildings and the possibilities of delays due to lengthy planning discussions.
“Developers might see an opportunity to crystallise those concerns, go through the planning process and provide costings to the end buyer, thus adding value.
“They also may want to sell on the site in smaller packages.
“Either way, the site offers an incredible opportunity, and the vendor, on behalf of the NHS is adopting a sensible view to offers.”
Justin Lamb, director at Justin Lamb Associates, added: “Bangour is probably the best opportunity in Scotland to deliver a new village within an existing mature landscape setting, providing the ideal setting for professionals and families.
“It also includes excellent commuter links to the major employment centres of Livingston, Edinburgh and Glasgow.”
Whatever the future of the site, it is unlikely to be as interesting as its past.
Once closed, the buildings were used as the setting for the 2005 film The Jacket, starring Keira Knightley and Adrien Brody.
The grounds have also served as a location for counter-terrorist exercises run by the Scottish Government and the site was a magnet for urban explorers, keen to photograph abandoned buildings.