Bids for family homes and retirement block at old workhouse near Hexham town centre

Two separate bids for housing developments on a key site near Hexham town centre have been lodged with Northumberland County Council.

HMC Group wants to create 34 new homes on the old workhouse site, to the east of the bus station and across the A695 Dene Avenue from Hexham General Hospital, while McCarthy and Stone has applied to build a retirement living complex on the car park directly to the east of the workhouse buildings.

The workhouse proposals seek to use as many of the existing buildings on the site as possible 'through a combination of conversion, refurbishment, alteration and extension' to form 26 two-bedroom flats, two two-bedroom houses and six three-bedroom apartments.

The existing access from the A695 would be kept and used, with 43 parking spaces to be provided.

Buildings on the site were first developed in 1839 as the Hexham Poor Law Workhouse, before being re-purposed by the NHS after the Second World War.

However, with the construction of Hexham General Hospital across the road, the buildings eventually fell out of full-time use in 2005 and the site was completely vacated by 2015.

The scheme would retain the North Range and South Range buildings, The Master's House as well as key elements of the East Range.

The central buildings on the site as well as the Fever Hospital to the east would be demolished as 'in addition to providing the necessary privacy distances between dwellings, this will also allow the formation of an attractive central courtyard area between the buildings incorporating green space, landscaping, seating areas and sculptures'.

A planning statement submitted with the application says that the proposed development will 'regenerate a currently vacant brownfield site in a sustainable location close to Hexham town centre', provide required new homes as well as job opportunities, and attract new individuals and families to the town, 'helping to boost its declining working-age population'.

It adds: 'Importantly, the scheme would also secure the retention, via restoration and re-use, of much of the former workhouse buildings through their sensitive conversion and extension where necessary to provide for modern-day living requirements.'

Meanwhile, the new McCarthy and stone retirement block would feature a total of 53 apartments - 30 one-bedroom and 23 two-bedroom.

The development, which would include a range of communal facilities as well as having a house manager on site, would provide homes for people aged 60 and over.

The application claims that this type of specialised accommodation is 'currently limited within this area of Hexham' and that it 'promotes downsizing and encourages the more efficient use of existing housing stock'.

There would be 37 parking spaces on the site, which would be accessed from Dene Avenue.

A planning statement concludes that 'its development with a new high-quality proposal with attractive landscaping will make an effective use of the site'.

It continues: 'At the same time, retirement living apartments are a passive use and an entirely sympathetic neighbour with extremely low levels of traffic generation in comparison to other potential housing uses of the site.

'The provision of an additional 53 units of accommodation (potentially 87 in total with the wider HMC masterplan on the adjacent site) within easy reach of Hexham town centre will help enhance the vitality and viability of local shops and services.'