Community hospitals identified as potential housing sites
Five community hospitals in Dorset are being considered as potential locations for nearly 200 new homes.
The submission of these sites to Dorset Council’s land availability assessment in 2019 was confirmed by Dorset Healthcare Trust.
The matter came to light when a ward councillor raised concerns about the future of Portland’s hospital. However, the hospital trust clarified that it was a procedural requirement to propose potential housing land for the council’s local plan and emphasised that there were no plans to close any of the hospitals.
The identified sites, part of the council’s Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA), aim to address housing needs in the area. The potential allocations are as follows, Portland Hospital – 51 homes, Yeatman Hospital, Sherborne – 50 homes, St Leonards Hospital – 28 homes, Wareham Hospital – 18 homes and Weymouth Hospital – 50 homes.
It is important to note that the submission of these sites does not imply immediate changes to the status or operations of the hospitals.
The focus remains on fulfilling the council’s housing requirements while maintaining healthcare services in the community.
Trust estates director Chris Lawrence said the hospitals were submitted as “potential areas that could be used for development in the future, if we were to change the way we provide healthcare”.
“One possibility we might want to look at is whether there are options on any of our community sites or available land to provide keyworker housing, alongside continuing to run clinical care,” he said.
“If any of our plans were to change in the future – for example an opportunity arose to acquire a new building that would work better for providing community care – then we would be open about this and involve the local community in the plans and proposals from an early stage.”
