Bid is made for former Downe Hospital

Bid is made for former Downe Hospital

9 July 2014

FIVE years after the closure of the old Downe Hospital, a bid has finally been made to purchase the site for redevelopment.

The old Victorian hospital was vacated in 2009 and since its closure, the Pound Lane building has been targeted by thieves and vandals on a number of occasions. It currently lies in a sorry state.

The former hospital — which was once at the centre of the district’s healthcare system — is now a shadow of its former self and a blot on the town’s landscape.

The site has been on the market since 2009 and while it appeared no one was going to buy the prime development location, the Department of Health has revealed several expressions of interest have now been made, leading to one formal bid.

While the government department has confirmed the sale includes the former St. John’s Home site at Pound Lane, it has not released any details of who has submitted the bid or what the future holds for the site.

“The old Downe Hospital and Pound Lane sites are currently on the market. There has been recent interest from a number of parties, resulting in one bid so far,” she added.

News that a bid has been submitted has been welcomed by councillor Dermot Curran. He feared the area was going to remain vacant with the former hospital building — which enjoys protected status — falling further into disrepair.

Last year, he called for the main hospital building and former dining hall at the rear — which was the site of the original Downpatrick Infirmary — to be stripped of their protected status.

“It could well be that whoever has submitted the bid to purchase the old hospital site may want to raze the former Downe to the ground. If that is so, perhaps Down Council could work alongside the potential developer to persuade the Environment Agency to go down this road,” he continued.

Councillor Curran said while previous attempts by the South Eastern Trust to have the former hospital’s protected status removed by the Environment Agency failed, he believes it may now be opportune for a fresh attempt to secure approval to allow this to happen.

“Bulldozing the old Downe could make what is an expansive and prime development site an even more attractive redevelopment proposition. Any future development of this site would play a significant role in helping to regenerate this part of Downpatrick,” he continued.

“It’s now five years since the old hospital closed, with the main buildings continuing to deteriorate. It saddens me that they are now in a very sorry state. My biggest fear is that the longer the Pound Lane site remains undeveloped, the more the two remaining buildings on it are going to fall further into disrepair which could put off potential developers.”

Councillor Curran said several years ago the Department of Health employed specialist consultants to devise a masterplan detailing what new development could potentially happen at the former hospital site which sits on a huge swathe of land.

“The suggestions included new housing and office accommodation, bed and breakfast provision and while a new hotel wasn’t included, the possibility of such a development was not been completely discounted,” he said.

Councillor Curran added: “Given that an investor has now declared an interest in this expansive site we could be taking the first tentative steps towards its redevelopment and the much-needed social and economic regeneration of what has become a forgotten area in Downpatrick.”