The council and its local health partners have joined forces to work to secure the future of the Bootham Park site and have initiated a wide-ranging consultation exercise to capture as many viewpoints on potential public/private uses for the property as possible.
NHS Property Services own the former hospital site. The NHS has an obligation to make sure that assets like Bootham are either re-used or sold. Capital receipts are returned to the Department for Health and Social Care for re-investment in the NHS.
The council and local NHS partners have asked Ministers at the Department for Health and Social Care for the sale of the former hospital to be put on hold while they explore how best to guide re-development of the publically-owned assets on the wider site. There is a very short window to undertake this engagement. This engagement process will continue, even if ministers advise NHS Property Services to continue to with the disposal.
The council and local NHS partners have now joined together under the government’s One Public Estate programme to work as a team to develop a viable plan for this complicated site for the benefit of the city and local health services, as a potential alternative to the entire property being sold to private interests.
The consultation exercise asks for opinions on the use of the entire 24 acre site, containing the Grade 1 and 2 Listed buildings and hospital field, the vacant former nurses accommodation site and the coach and car park in order to allow the widest possible options to be explored.
The focus is on potential opportunities for site to serve a variety of uses, such as health functions including potential outpatient services, intermediate care accommodation and/or medical education services; other public services; commercial uses which are viable with heritage-status buildings and even key-worker accommodation.
Leader of City of York Council, Cllr Ian Gillies, said: “This is a huge opportunity to consider an appropriate future for the Bootham Park estate, and hopefully continue its service to our city. We want to explore all options and it’s very important to us to have as many residents participate in the process as possible. Let’s make it clear to the NHS how important this site is to York.”
Residents can get involved, learn about the issues surrounding the site and give their feedback in several ways:
by filling out an online consultation, at a drop-in exhibition or on a guided walking workshops around the site (please note that this will not include the inside of the buildings). The council will need to collate all responses by 9am on Thursday 1 November.
Exhibitions
These exhibition boards will be on display at:
City of York Council’s West Offices, Station Rise, YO1 6GA
The foyer of York District Hospital, Wigginton Road, YO31 8HE
Grab a post-it note and add your views to these boards – just place the responses next to the questions, on the maps or on the space on this board.
Talk to the team
You can talk through the proposals with a member of the team at:
Monday 15 October 1pm to 4pm, York Explore, Library Square, York YO1 7DS
Saturday 20 October, 12:30pm to 4:30pm, York City Church, Citadel YO31 7EA
Monday 22 October 6:30pm-8:30pm, Guildhall Ward event focusing on regeneration proposals in the ward, York Explore, Library Square, York YO1 7DS
Wednesday 24 October, 3pm-7pm, York City Church, Citadel YO31 7EA
Online
For full details of the site and engagement process, including downloadable exhibition boards, visit www.york.gov.uk/BoothamPark