The provision of beds at a new mental health centre in South Liverpool will be reduced as a planning application is amended.
A total of four, 20-bed wards will now be constructed on the former Mossley Hill Hospital and grounds as services are consolidated from sites across Liverpool. Plans originally submitted to Liverpool Council by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust had sought to supply 106 beds as part of the new unit.
If approved by the local authority planning committee next week, the new proposals will provide acute care services previously found at the Broadoak Unit in Broadgreen Hospital and Windsor House, Toxteth. The revised scheme will no longer incorporate the services from the STAR Unit, located at the Rathbone Hospital site, and as a result the number of beds required has been reduced, with only four wards now being built.
READ MORE: Woman left feeling unsafe in her own home after burglar watched her sleep
According to the planning application, the site on Park Avenue previously consisted of a series of predominantly single and two storey buildings and had been developed over a number of years for mental health care service provision. These buildings have recently been demolished under the redevelopment planning permission.
No changes are proposed to the level of car parking previously approved - 180 spaces - which will continue to provide 166 general car parking spaces, 14 accessible car parking and four cycle shelters. Original planning permission was granted for the scheme almost five years ago.
Alterations have been made to the internal layout of the building to maintain operational efficiency, along with associated minor adjustments to window sizes and layouts. The report said: “The amended scheme, having been reviewed against the current city’s Local Plan, offers a number of enhancements as compares to the previously approved development, including additional provisions for inclusive access within the external areas and car park, provision of electric vehicle charging bays, and provision of a high quality landscape planting scheme, and sustainability improvements including the use of air source heat pumps in place of gas boilers.”
There are no environmental or amenity concerns. Liverpool Council’s interim chief planning officer has recommended that the application be granted by councillors.
