Plea to save more of infirmary bell tower building

Objectors to the plans believe more of the infirmary building should be kept

A hospital trust has gone back on its word to save a 150-year-old bell tower building from demolition, objectors to the plans have said.

Berwick Infirmary, in Northumberland, dates back to the 1870s and is being replaced by a £35m state-of-the-art hospital on the same site.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust released plans incorporating the infirmary's bell tower into the new site, however some in the community believe the trust had previously agreed to save more of the building.

The trust said "many aspects of the design and functionality" had "moved on" since the plans were first proposed nearly 10 years ago.

Berwick Town councillor, Thomas Stewart, who represents the Green Party, said when the trust first announced plans to demolish the original building in 2020 there was a plea to save as much of it as possible.

"There was a lot of pressure both from myself and many people that that building should not be lost," he said.

The bell tower would be surrounded by a garden to create an attractive arrival space to the new hospital

The building is not listed, but it is recognised as a non-designated heritage asset.

Stewart, who also works as an architect, said in 2020 the plans had changed to include the condition that at least one wing be retained along with the tower.

Now everything around the bell tower is to be demolished, subject to new planning permission.

"It would be nice if they recognised there is potential for a reuse," Stewart said.

"They could sell it for a peppercorn to a local organisation who could then do it or turn it over to the community to do something with."

No official proposal

Damon Kent, managing director of Northumbria Healthcare Facilities Management, said: "The first agreement to build at the current site was almost 10 years ago and many aspects of the design and functionality have moved on since then.

"To date, we have not received an official proposal for the use of the bell tower building that we believe is tangible, durable and that can be sustainably funded for a long period of time."

Stewart said nearly everyone in Berwick had a connection to the hospital and to leave the bell tower with no access to it was "just tokenistic at best".

"It's a sort of bauble that the trust are offering to the community as a means of getting everything else through that they want."

Mr Kent said under the new plans the tower could remain as a landmark and that he believes that is "positive".

Based on planning evidence and conservation area documentation, "it is the tower that people would most like to retain on site", he added.