More Details Released of Plans for Barnes Hospital Site

New school and clinic could open next year if plans are approved

CGI of London River AcademyCGI of London River Academy. Picture: BDP. Provided in Richmond Council documents

Participate

 

Mental Health Facility Planned for Barnes Hospital Site

More Traffic Feared Due To Barnes Hospital Development

New Council Homes in McKinney House Described as Stunning

20 Metre High Mast on Roehampton Vale Blocked

New Planters Installed on Putney High Street

Sign up for our weekly Putney newsletter

Comment on this story on the

February 15, 2023

Images have been published of what the new NHS mental health centre at the Barnes Hospital site could look like. Proposals for the new facilities, which will replace old buildings on South Worple Way, have been designed in collaboration with patients, staff and locals.

The new 90-place special educational needs school would be called London River Academy and operated by the Beckmead Trust, according to a planning statement. It would be for students aged between seven and 19 years old with social, emotional and mental health needs.

The clinic would be an outpatient facility for adults with mental health needs run by South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, the statement adds.

Barnes Isolation Hospital first opened in 1889 to care for patients with infectious diseases. It was later renamed and mainly provided mental health services by the early 1990s. It has not provided inpatient services since 2013 and existing outpatient services will be relocated to Teddington while the new centre is built.

Outline plans to bulldoze disused buildings on the site and put up a new mental health centre, school and homes on the site were approved by Richmond Council in September 2020, ahead of detailed applications being submitted for the separate parts.

Housing plans for the site were then brought forward by Star Land Realty UK – including 106 flats in blocks up to four storeys tall and revamping two buildings to create three homes. The council is considering these plans.

The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Secretary of State for Education and the South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust have submitted a separate application for the mental health centre and school to the council. The school and clinic could open by 2024 if the plans are approved.

More Traffic Feared Due To Barnes Hospital Development
A visualisation of the development submitted with the planning application. Picture: BDP. Provided in Richmond Council documents

A spokesperson for South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust said: “As part of our ambitious plans to transform mental health services in South West London, the trust is applying to develop a new hub for adult outpatient services at Barnes Hospital. Pending planning approval and government sign-off, this will replace old and outdated buildings which are no longer suitable for modern mental healthcare.

“All services will continue without interruption during the construction phase, with teams at Barnes relocating temporarily to Livingston House in Teddington, a short distance away. Patients’ and service users’ appointments will be based there until services move back to the new Barnes Hospital once it is finished in spring 2024.

“The proposed facility has been designed in collaboration with patients, staff and local people, including a recent consultation on the final plans with our community and partners in November 2022. In all, it represents an £11m investment in mental health services and will be part of a new mixed-use community alongside housing and a new school, which is being developed by the Department for Education.

“At the same time, the trust is working to expand and enhance adult community mental health services in Richmond, ensuring people are offered the right care and support as they need it, in the community and closer to home. We look forward to continuing to work closely with patients, staff, our partners and our wider community as this exciting vision for Barnes and Richmond progresses.” The council will look over the application in due course.

Charlotte Lillywhite - Local Democracy Reporter

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.

 

Bookmark and Share