NHS DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY - NITHBANK

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1 NHS DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY - NITHBANK Feasibility Options 19 March 2018

2 nithbank - site appraisal Site Analysis Set high on a terrace above a formal garden and the main road. This position and setting is important in townscape terms. The architecture is not exceptional however, and in our opinion the building remains of regional and local interest and is of modest significance. Nithbank Hospital was originally built as the Dumfries Royal Infirmary with the original building designed by John Starforth of Edinburgh in Whilst there were later additions by James Barbour in other major extensions have been added piecemeal throughout the 20th Century with some significant alterations and interventions made in the 1960 s and 70 s. The buildings on the site are now all largely surplus to NHS requirements with services either already decanted or soon to be decanted to the new DGRI. Only a few NHS services currently remain in operation, therefore the existing buildings, both listed and non-listed, are already gradually deteriorating and new uses are required to be found soon if the current integrity of the main listed buildings are to be safeguarded. The current interior that remains is modern with the majority of spaces, wards, corridors all having been altered and re-lined to suit the specific medical function of the spaces involved. The result is a warren of awkward room interiors. The floor to ceiling height at ground floor level within the original block is high, to create light and airy rooms, but it is set at a height that restricts the conversion of the building to residential or student accommodation uses. The central corridor that runs roughly west to east across the site has a series of wards and medical rooms branching off to the north and south. These rooms are also of an awkward size for straightforward conversion. Therefore it is our opinion that if the building is to be saved and a new use found for it, then it will be highly likely that considerable interventions into the historic fabric will be necessary to create order and regularity to the interior spaces. The awkward plan form to the rear of the principal façade, although original in to 1873, is not conducive to simple or straightforward conversion. However, the removal of the structures to the rear of the principal façade would provide an extensive area of land for redevelopment. At that point the viability of an office development or institutional use might be attractive to a developer. The existing housing on the site could also act as the catalyst to bring housing developer or housing associations to seek new residential development on the site. Nithbank site offers substantial redevelopment opportunities if there is an acceptance by all parties, to permit a level of demolition and intervention into the later additions and alterations behind the principal western original building. Nithbank History In the late 18th century there was increasing pressure to create an infirmary in Dumfries. A society of gentlemen in the Shire of Dumfries and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is formed. The President was the Duke of Queensberry and the Vice-President was Sir William Maxwell of Springkell. They constituted themselves as The Governors of Dumfries Infirmary in This group initiated formal medical care in Dumfries. The first infirmary was located in the High Dock area of Dumfries some short distance south west of the present Nithbank Royal Infirmary site. The building was a simple structure of six bays and three storeys in height. It provided space for 42 patients which included cells for lunatics. This was the fourth infirmary to open in Scotland following Edinburgh 1729, Aberdeen 1742 and Glasgow Town Hospital 1733 (replaced by the Royal Infirmary in 1794). By 1868 the demand on bed spaces had reached a level that required a new hospital to be constructed. The Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary opened on the Nithbank site in 1873 on what had been an extensive nursery site of Messrs Kennedy & Co. The new building presented a bespoke 19th century environment for the treatment of patients. The building was designed by the important Edinburgh based architect John Starforth. He has been apprenticed to Burn and Bryce and perhaps as a result of this his work reflects an interest in early English Gothic. Once on his own his practice work consisted mainly of churches, hospitals, poorhouses and some country houses. The Nithbank building was category B listed in

3 nithbank - site appraisal Previous NHS occupation or use Listed Buildings 3

4 feasibility options Approach to Redevelopment As outlined, the existing B-Listed building plays a significant role in the Dumfries townscape with its formal frontage and terraced (former nursery) gardens and gate lodges fronting onto Lindsay Terrace and the B725, and everything possible should be done to safeguard the building and its setting. That said, whilst the main building has seen numerous alterations to allow it to be used as an office and for day clinic operations, it is now in poor condition and has inflexible and inefficient floorplates that would not be easily adaptable to other uses. Therefore the approach being proposed, suggests the partial demolition of the secondary wards and spaces to the east of the main building. This would concentrate refurbishment efforts into ensuring that the main building and its important setting is maintained, whilst freeing up valuable development potential of the land to the rear. If possible, the other two stand-alone sandstone pavilions fronting Craig Road would also be retained. Commercially, finding a developer or tenant to take on the listed building in its current state without significant financial support from the Public Sector is highly improbable; therefore a solution which provides sufficient income generation or sizable capital receipt from the remainder of the site, either through sale or development, to cross-fund the investment necessary to protect the listed building needs to be found. Given that Nithbank is within walking distance of the town centre and the nearby Crichton Estate, it is proposed that the site would be ideally suited to a number of uses including residential, education and/or a related business use. The regeneration and redevelopment framework therefore is not prescriptive of the eventual use of the listed buildings and site, but is specific about the approach that should be followed; namely the partial demolition of the main hospital building, development of a new complimentary building of around 30,000 ft 2 on the cleared site and the redevelopment of the wider site environs. Both options presented and illustrated are predicated on HES agreeing with our conservation appraisal that the elements to the rear and east of the main building are of much less architectural significance than the main entrance building. Within that specific conservation and redevelopment approach, two alternative options, and uses, have been explored and are illustrated to demonstrate what could be possible, as follows; 4

5 Nithbank Hospital area is proposed to be developed as : 1. International School with supporting leisure & residential accommodation within the grounds. There has been significant interest shown nationally and internationally with a working paper prepared demonstrating what could be achieved within the Nithbank site. However to ensure we keep all opportunities fluid we have also identified that: 2. Community Hub/ Office HQ & Housing mix could be developed on the site. The historic core of the listed building is retained and expanded with a high quality new wing while the surrounding area is designed into a low density residential neighbourhood comprising detached, semi-detached private & social housing. 5

6 NHS Dumfries & Galloway - Nithbank Feasibility Options development option 1 international school OPTION 1: International School PHASE 1: DN 882m² per storey, 2646m² total During the detailed consultation process to develop a Crichton Quarter Masterplan in 2015 (managed by The Crichton Trust), NHS Dumfries and Galloway paid a integral part to the process, during the progression the opportunity to introduce a International School to Dumfries was identified. And interest was raised as to the suitability of Nithbank. The historic setting, grandeur of the listed building and extensive grounds provide the perfect setting to attract an International School into the Region. Founded upon the region s main strengths of healthcare, farming, tourism and sustainability an International School would bring the opportunity to grow and promote the academic excellence of the region, supported by, and adding value to, the educational institutions of the Crichton Estate and the wider area. Through a connected learning environment an International school has the potential to integrate with the region, from engaging with the Dumfries & Galloway lifestyle and culture, to collaborating with the growing sustainable energy and healthcare sectors in the region. DN International School/ Residential Development - Phase 1 DN International School/ Residential Development - Phase 2 6

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8 development option 2 - community hub/ office hq Option 2: Community Hub/ Office HQ with residential development The Main B-Listed Building, including the two adjacent C-Listed buildings are retained with the ancillary hospital wards to the east demolished to free up development land to create an office campus around this grouping of listed buildings with a new 30,000 ft2 extension to the main office building. This would involve building a new entrance stair and lift core to link the new building to the existing building in order that they could function as one. The grandeur, presence and quality of the existing building conjoined with an overtly modern office building would breathe new life into the listed estate and would provide an attractive development opportunity that could be marketed either separately as a commercial development, but more probably as an integrated development opportunity with residential development in the surrounding grounds. The residential site could be configured in numerous ways however for the purpose of the framework and development appraisal it is illustrated as having up to 50 units of mixed private/ social tenure. 8

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