Objections raised to "reckless" Overdale demolition

Monday 25 October 2021

Islanders have been writing to Planning to oppose the demolition of Overdale, arguing that destroying new and refurbished buildings before plans for a new hospital have been agreed would be a "reckless" and "costly" gamble.

Concerns over the impact of the works on residents, the local wildlife, as well as patients and staff of the hospital have also been raised in the public comments submitted in reply to the Government’s plans.

The application to demolish Overdale was submitted earlier this month, less than 24 hours after politicians narrowly backed funding for the £804.5m hospital project.

It suggested demolishing the buildings on the site in three phases - all taking place next year - starting with the cluster of buildings to the south-west of the site, including the McKinstry and Jessie Scott buildings, the kitchens and OT store in the second quarter of 2022. 

While many of the buildings are in a dilapidated state, the demolition would also include the Child Development and Therapy Centre, which underwent a £2.4m refurbishment just three years ago following consultation with children and families.

Pictured: The application for the demoliition suggested doing the work in three phases next year.

Several islanders have now written to the Planning Department to oppose the demolition, with the majority arguing that it shouldn’t be approved until the plans for the new hospital have been approved. 

According to one writer, starting the demolition before the new hospital receives planning permission would be “premature and presumptuous”. “It assumes that permission will be granted when this is not by any means certain,” he wrote. 

Others described the process as wasteful in the light of the uncertainty.

One said the demolition was “utterly wrong” and “a waste of taxpayers’ money”, adding that he “absolutely objected to knocking down all the useful buildings”, noting how some had only been built 17 years ago and recently refurbished. 

One suggested that if the new hospital didn’t go ahead “for whatever reason”, the island would have wasted “both time and money and lost some perfectly good buildings”. 

Pictured: Several writers said the demolition shouldn't be approved until the planning department has given the green light to the plans for the new hospital.

“The demolition of almost new, perfectly functioning buildings is speculative, environmentally very wasteful and financially very costly,” one islander said. “To be gambling on a successful full planning application is extremely reckless and potentially costly." 

Some islanders also highlighted how the demolition wouldn’t fit in with the Government’s goal for sustainability. “Why demolish sound buildings when today’s climate is all about sustainability,” one wrote.

Another said it was “a total waste” to demolish properties of “sound construction”, which could be used, rather than create “more building waste”.

“It is against planning policy, a huge waste and wrong on environmental grounds,” another added. “It goes all sustainability policy.”

Pictured: “Traffic issues are inevitable and will result in significant disruption,” one islander wrote.

Other islanders raised concerns about the impact of the works, not only on residents but also on the wildlife.

One noted that the proposed working times - Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 18:00, and Saturdays between 08:00 and 13:00 - were unacceptable and could set a precedent for the building of the new hospital.

“Traffic issues are inevitable and will result in significant disruption,” he added.

Others said the demolition shouldn’t start whilst Overdale was still a “functioning medical facility” and that the health and safety of the staff and patients should be taken into consideration.

“People should not be exposed to the traffic, noise and dust,” one woman wrote. 

Meanwhile, one writer noted the application was “incomplete” and didn’t include any information about how it would support the environment.

He said he was concerned about the impact on hedgehogs and red squirrels and that he would only support the application if the whole site was to be returned to woodland for nature.

He added: “Islanders believe once Overdale is demolished, the new hospital will be refused planning permission and the area will be turned into luxury flats.”