12 Report to Planning Committee Date 11 October 2012 by Director

Agenda Item 5 Report PC 68/12 Report to Planning Committee Date 11 October 2012 By Director of Planning Local Authority Chichester District Council Application Number SDNP/12/01392/FUL Application Amendments to the proposals approved by permission 11/03635/FUL, comprising:- Demolition of the front north facade to the sanatorium: demolition of the extension to the south - west wing of the sanatorium; layout of 17 apartments within the south - west wing and 8 within the north front and immediately adjoining areas of the north-east and north-west wings; erection of 26 dwelling in the bracken lane and superintendents drive area; erection of the west apartments comprising 48 units; construction of west underground carpark; construction of 3 dwellings south of engine house; construction of access roads and drives; and provision of landscaping (overall reduction of 1 dwelling) Address King Edward VII Hospital Kings Drive Easebourne Midhurst West Sussex GU29 0BL Applicant City and Country Group Purpose of Report The application is reported to the Committee for decision. Recommendation: that planning permission consent is granted for the reasons set out in paragraph 10.1 of this report (i) subject to a S106 agreement with obligations relating to: • the implementation of the revised construction programme; • the management of the estate and maintenance of the landscaping; • provision of a doctors surgery; • a restriction on keeping cats; • provision of fire hydrants and waste and recycling facilities; • travel plan implementation; • public access; • a contribution towards community infrastructure; and • affordable housing provision. (ii) subject to the conditions set out in Appendix 2. Executive Summary The application seeks to amend the existing planning permission for the enabling development at King Edward VII Hospital granted in November 2011. The amendments are minor and will reduce the overall number of units on site by one unit. It proposes removal of later additions to the Sanatorium and the new extension proposed on the north side of the west wing of the south block has been deleted from the scheme. This will result in a loss of 16 of the units proposed by the conversion of the Sanatorium. It is proposed to reprovide 15 of these in two locations - 11 in 2 12 understoreys to the West Courtyard new build and 4 additional houses in the woods in the eastern part of the site referred to as Bracken Lane. There are other small adjustments to the layout of the west underground car park access, the cottages to the south of the Engine House and the layout of the part of the site referred to as Bracken Lane/Superintendent's Drive. English Heritage, Natural England, the Environment Agency and the Highway Authority have no objection to the amendments. Concern has been expressed by local residents on the principle of amending the application in the context of enabling development guidance and the potential impact of increased activity in the western part of the site on their amenity. The amendments to the scheme would better reveal the significance of the Sanatorium and its setting and allow more of the Gertrude Jekyll Gardens to be restored. The additions to the West Courtyard building would not increase its height and would not be visible from outside the site. There will be no additional activity in the immediate vicinity of the residents of Hurst Park. The scheme overall results in one less unit than previously permitted 1. Site Description 1.1 The site is the former King Edward VII hospital and grounds which cover approximately 50 hectares and include designated and undesignated heritage assets . A site plan is attached at appendix 1 . It is located in undulating wooded landscape approximately 5.5 kilometres to the north of Midhurst and 6 kilometres south of the village of Fernhurst on a south facing slope with extensive views out over the Rother Valley. The site rises up to the north and falls away to the west and is mostly covered by pine plantation with coppices of sweet chestnut and silver birch. 120 trees are protected by Tree Preservation Orders. The surrounding area is a mosaic of heath and woodland and the site is bounded from the north west to the south west by Woolbeding and Pound Common, nationally important areas of acid heath land, an important habitat for ground nesting birds, which are both SSSIs and SINC and owned and managed by the National Trust. A public foot path runs along the eastern and northern edges of the site. The site is well screened with limited public view points in the vicinity of the site although there are long distance views from the South Downs Way across the Rother Valley. 1.2 Access is via a driveway through metal gates from Kings Drive which runs in an south-east- north-west direction from the A286 where there is a simple priority junction. There is a lay-by on the south east side of this junction for buses stopping southbound. North bound buses stop at the north west side of the junction. The A286 at this point has a 50mph speed limit. Bus Service 70 runs hourly between Midhurst and Guildford on the A286 and services 91 and 92 serving South Harting, Rogate, Trotten and Petersfield are scheduled to stop in the site itself but are currently very infrequent. The distance from the junction with the A286 to the site is just over a kilometre. Kings Drive is an unclassified road 5.5 metres wide with room for an HGV and cyclist to pass. There are no pedestrian foot paths (although the verge provides some refuge from on-coming traffic) and there is no street lighting . 1.3 The original hospital, completed in 1906, was built as a tuberculosis sanatorium, under the patronage of King Edward VII. It is a grade II* Listed Building. It was designed as two east- west aligned longitudinal blocks, with the southern, longer block splaying slightly out at either end, linked by a central corridor which divided the space between the buildings into 2 open courtyards. The plan divided the sexes with the west wing for male and the east wing for female patients. It is 3 storeys in height and built in banded red and grey brick (as are the other original buildings on the site) with tiled and gabled roofs and in an Arts and Craft style. 1.4 The area to the north was originally left as dense pine wood which was considered beneficial to the health of patients, but the area immediately in front of the building was subsequently cleared as it was found to be oppressive and was prone to mists. This created Kings Green, a ‘V’ shaped glade in front of the Sanatorium which is included in the designated area of the grade II Registered Historic Park and Garden referred to below. 1.5 To the west, and set apart from the Sanatorium, is the Chapel which was of an unusual ‘V’ shaped plan, with 2 naves opened up to the south with a stone colonnade, for separate use 13 by men and women, linked by an octagonal chancel and tower. It is also a grade II* Listed Building. 1.6 To the north west of the Chapel is the Laundry and Engine House, which is grade II Listed and the Motor House which is not listed in its own right but is protected as a curtilage building of the Sanatorium and Chapel. To the east on the higher ground to the north of the Sanatorium is the nurses home. It was built in the mid 20 th century in neo Georgian style which is also not listed in its own right but enjoys curtilage protection. At the entrance to the site is the Lodge, which is grade II Listed. There are a number of sheds and storage buildings adjoining these buildings. 1.7 Around the Sanatorium, but now largely surviving in the area adjoining the southern range, are the remains of the gardens which were designed and laid out by Gertrude Jekyll upon the completion of the hospital in 1906. These are a designated heritage asset as they are on the English Heritage Register of Historic Parks and Garden as a grade II designation. The Jekyll south garden survives in broadly recognisable form. However, her west garden has been largely lost and her east garden has been entirely lost beneath later hospital extensions. 1.8 A number of ‘measured walks’ run throughout the site and surrounding woodland. These were laid out for use by the TB patients as part of their treatment when the buildings were in use as a sanatorium. 1.9 The Sanatorium has been extended by a number of unsympathetic buildings and additions in the second half of the 20 th century to support the use of the site as a hospital specialising in cancer treatment. The remainder of the site comprises large areas of car parking, roads, drives and amenity grassland associated with the hospital use. 1.10 In the middle of the hospital grounds, to the north west of the Engine House, is Hurst Park, a modern development of 28 houses. It was built in the 1990’s to fund the hospital and does not form part of the application site. Despite this development and a series of applications for development proposed to support its continued use (detailed in section 2 of this report) the modern hospital closed in 2006. Since the buildings have been unoccupied there has been some water incursion and substantial damage to the interior of both the Sanatorium and Chapel. The Chapel is currently on the English Heritage ‘Buildings At Risk’ register.

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