Stockport hospice redevelopment plans submitted

Plans have been submitted to Stockport Council for the redevelopment of unused buildings at St Ann’s Hospice, Heald Green, which would add a 50,000 sq ft facility to the site.

Plans were submitted by architect, PRP, and will see outdated buildings on the site replaced with a purpose built facility including a 27-bedroom inpatient unit, day therapy and outpatient services, and family support services. The site will also house staff offices, training facilities, a coffee shop and provide additional parking.

In order to fund the scheme, St Ann’s Hospice intend to build a 40-home residential development on the Stockport site, which is in the Cheadle Royal conservation area, and plans include landscaping works to ensure the redevelopment of the site has minimal local impact.

If approved, the redevelopment of St Ann’s Hospice will make Stockport home to one of the UK’s largest purpose-built hospices outside of London.

Graham Locke, Director at PRP, said:

The purpose of St Ann’s Hospice is to provide the utmost care and support to patients with life-limiting illnesses.

“This is a charity that requires modern facilities to support the incredibly meaningful work it provides locally and beyond, but unfortunately the existing building is rapidly becoming expensive to maintain and will become unfit for future care.

“We now have a significant opportunity to develop a new hospice that meets the level and standard of world-class care St Ann’s Hospice is best known for, and by working closely with the team there, we have designed a new facility that we’re confident will meet the needs of patients for years to come.

“However, to make the new hospice viable, we will need to bring forward development on the existing site to cross-fund the land purchase and build. The existing site is ideal for residential development, utilising a brownfield site to bring much needed homes to Stockport.”

Eamonn O’Neal, Chief Executive of St Ann’s Hospice, said:

We’re proud to be one of the oldest hospices in the UK, and as we approach our 50th anniversary in 2021, it’s vital that we continue to look ahead and ensure we can continue providing specialist care to patients for another half a century and beyond.

“We have been working hard for several years, considering many different options to ensure we can continue to deliver world-class care to future generations, and are delighted with the plans PRP and other members of our project team have produced in collaboration and consultation with local people and businesses.

“Communities across Greater Manchester and beyond have always been so overwhelmingly supportive of the hospice, and we’re pleased that this new hospice would still remain in our Heald Green home in St Ann’s Road North. We’re proud to lead the way in many areas of end of life and palliative care delivery, and it’s exciting that we can hopefully bring this fabulous, world-class facility to the region for the benefit of families both now and well into the future.”

St Ann’s Hospice first opened in 1971, although the site has been used for healthcare since the 19th Century, when a 40-bedroom hospital for epileptic children was built.