Select a region
People living near the King Edward VII hospital say they're hoping the site might soon be redeveloped - and they're also hoping that means the rotting vehicles left in its car park could be removed.
A States spokesperson has however confirmed to Express that no work is likely to start soon, but the car park could be tidied up.
In response to recent questions from Express about the wider project to rationalise the States property estate, a spokesperson for the States Property Unit said "plans for both the Castel Hospital and KEVII sites are also progressing, and those sites will, in time, either be disposed of or redeveloped subject to the availability of funds and the outcome discussions with third parties”.
The SPU spokesperson added:
“Permits have been reviewed for the King Edward VII hospital site and new measures are being put in place to ensure cars parked on the site are roadworthy. There are no planned works scheduled for this site at this time.”
Pictured: The King Edward VII hospital earlier this week.
A visit to the site earlier this week confirmed that a number of vehicles which are clearly not roadworthy are currently in the car park.
While other vehicles are legitimately parked there, with their owners paying for parking permits as well as insurance, many have been left there without a permit or insurance.
Among those is a lorry formerly owned by Ferryspeed. The company confirmed to Express this week that the vehicle was "deleted" from its fleet list some years ago when it was sold to a third party. The company acknowledged the problems this vehicle has caused but is unable to do anything about it as it does not belong to the firm.
Other vehicles left in the car park have individual or business names on them.
Many of the vehicles seen by Express are clearly not roadworthy and have been parked without insurance for many years.
Pictured: The King Edward VII hospital car park is littered with decaying vehicles parked alongside those in current use with parking permits.
One resident who spoke to Express said he hoped the site will be redeveloped soon. He said he had been told that this is imminent and despite legitimately parking his own vehicle on the site he said the area is an eyesore and it needs to be "sorted out".
He pointed out numerous vehicles which have deteriorated to a dangerous condition with parts falling off them.
The hospital - which first opened as a health care facility in 1902 - closed in 2014. Part of the site remains used for health and social care purposes with the fostering and adoption services and some other social work service providers based in the satellite buildings on the site.
In 2022, Deputy David Mahoney - who was then responsible for the property rationalisation project - said that the site could soon be ready for development.
One suggestion has been to redevelop the site into an extra care housing facility while other suggestions have included selling the land off for housing developments.
The site has been targeted by vandals in the past with windows smashed and fire extinguishers let off adding to the existing damage on the site as it has deteriorated over the years.
Pictured top: These vehicles and others were parked at the King Edward VII hospital site this week.
King Edward VII Hospital vandalised again
P&R quizzed on unaffordability of Castel Hospital development
CONNECT interview: Building for the future of primary care
States' inaction over housing will cost us all
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.