Brighton and Hove City Council and Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust have agreed to work in partnership to develop future plans for the Brighton General Hospital site in Elm Grove.
In March, the council revealed it wanted to turn the hospital’s Arundel Building into 500 housing units, while also supporting the trust in building a long-awaited health hub on the land.
The Labour administration said the meeting was “collaborative” and both parties discussed their shared ambitions for the east of the city – “improving health outcomes, providing a great patient experience, serving the local community, and tackling the chronic housing crisis”.
Councillor Jacob Taylor, deputy leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “This is such an important site for the local community and the city as a whole. We’re very pleased that the trust has agreed to work collaboratively in developing plans for the future of Brighton General Hospital.”
Brighton General Hospital is a 4.6 hectare site which currently houses the trust’s administrative offices and a range of community-based health and social care services in more than 20 buildings.
It is on a steep slope, which the council has said makes it difficult for wheelchair-users, people with mobility issues and families with young children to access specialist clinics.
Cllr Taylor said it had “many bad and old condition buildings” which were no longer fit for purpose.
But he believes the site is “strategically located” for council housing.
Councillor Ty Galvin, ward councillor for Hanover and Elm Grove, said: “We’re keen to ensure that the site is used for the maximum benefit of residents – a new health hub, new affordable housing and improved public realm for the local population.”
Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust made the decision to sell off much of the site to private housing developers in 2018.
Health bosses at the time said they needed the money to build a new community health hub, housing all of the services currently offered on the site.
In 2020, the trust sought to work up detailed plans and begin planning consultation with an aim to complete the new health hub by 2024.
But since then, no work has started to build the new hub.
Mike Jennings, deputy chief executive and chief financial officer for Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are currently revisiting plans for how we can redevelop the Brighton General Hospital site, including the provision of a new integrated health hub.
“We are committed to working in partnership with the city council on the future of the site. We were pleased to hear that councillors are supportive of the principle of a new health hub and look forward to working with the council on the next steps.”
Chris Ward, MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, welcomed the news and said he would work to further the project.
“I’m delighted to see the council and the trust working together on this site,” he said.
“The site has been stalled for far too long, and represents a huge opportunity. I will be making the case to government for an ambitious project on this site – one that benefits Brightonians for generations to come.”
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