Not a great start: but will keep going on campaign to extend KGH
I sent the below to Councillors in NE London. It did not work out, but I will keep going.
Dear Councillors in Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge & Waltham Forest
I write regarding the following:
1 - Why the Decision of Redbridge Council to decide to allow housing on so called “surplus land” on the King George Hospital site should concern all Councillors in North East London. The documents referenced below point to the plan to close King George A&E from 2010 as the rationale for the decision to build housing on "surplus" land. The legality of this plan has been called into doubt by a November Price Waterhouse Coopers Report report commissioned by the NHS which paused plans to close King George A&E in 2019
2 – Should you agree I would ask you to sign a press release to be published on 19thFebuary seeking the plan to build on “surplus” land on King George Hospital be referred to a Redbridge Council Working party chaired by Wes Streeting MP due to be tabled at Redbridge Health Scrutiny on 21st February into the future of North East London A&E provision. Wes made it clear in Parliament on 10.7.17 that his working party had a wider brief than just King George I quote from Hansard “I currently chair a cross-party working group on the future of A&E provision in north-east London”
I am emailing NHS activists as well as Cllrs in the boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge & Waltham Forest regarding the decision of the Redbridge Labour Group to take parts of King George Hospital land out of Green Belt protection (1) and allow residential housing on the site per the Redbridge Local Plan to voted upon on March 15th at a full council meeting.
Matthew Hopkins, the Chief Executive of BHRUT, made a welcome commitment in letter in the Ilford Recorder on 8th February to say “We must not sell off hospital land” (2)
However, for Matthew's commitment to be credible, BHRUT needs to take the following two actions:
1 - Retract a key document of September 2016 by Bidwells (3) acting on behalf of BHRUT which states at page 1:
“BHRUT fully supports policy LP1B’s proposed removal of its surplus land at King George Hospital from the Green Belt and its proposed allocation for housing led development.”
Page 2 of the same Bidwell's document links the plan to close King George A&E to develop housing on the King George Site:
“The availability of the land for non-healthcare uses was confirmed by BHRUT’s approved Estates Strategy for the period 2014 to 2019. Most of this land has been redundant for some time but could not be released for development due to current planning policy constraints. The Estates Strategy is set in the context of the wider Health for North East London (Health4NEL) Review and BHRUT’s adopted Clinical Strategy. Neither anticipate the development of any surplus land at King George Hospital for new healthcare services in the foreseeable future. Indeed, as a consequence of the changes proposed to local service provision by Health4NEL and the Clinical Strategy, which focus on the transfer of acute care and emergency services to BHRUT’s principal service centre at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, a substantial reduction in services located at King George Hospital is anticipated.” (my emphasis in the above)
The source for claiming surplus land exists suitable for housing development on the King George Hospital site is the 2010 Health for NE London business plan (4) which at page 113 states:
“The parts of the King George Hospital site and buildings that can be decommissioned and mothballed.
The parts of the King George Hospital site and buildings that can be decommissioned cleared and sold
. Rationalisation between King George Hospital and mental health facilities on the Goodmayes site”
(2) BHRUT must write to Redbridge Council to say the local plan which is to be voted upon on March 15th 2017 must be amended to put King George land back into Green Belt protection
I wrote to Matthew Hopkins on 8.2.18 seeking that BHRUT withdraw the Bidwell's document and write to Redbridge Council bring the “surplus” King George land back into Green Belt protection. Matthew wrote back to me on 12.2.18.
“As
Dear Councillors in Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge & Waltham Forest
I write regarding the following:
1 - Why the Decision of Redbridge Council to decide to allow housing on so called “surplus land” on the King George Hospital site should concern all Councillors in North East London. The documents referenced below point to the plan to close King George A&E from 2010 as the rationale for the decision to build housing on "surplus" land. The legality of this plan has been called into doubt by a November Price Waterhouse Coopers Report report commissioned by the NHS which paused plans to close King George A&E in 2019
2 – Should you agree I would ask you to sign a press release to be published on 19thFebuary seeking the plan to build on “surplus” land on King George Hospital be referred to a Redbridge Council Working party chaired by Wes Streeting MP due to be tabled at Redbridge Health Scrutiny on 21st February into the future of North East London A&E provision. Wes made it clear in Parliament on 10.7.17 that his working party had a wider brief than just King George I quote from Hansard “I currently chair a cross-party working group on the future of A&E provision in north-east London”
I am emailing NHS activists as well as Cllrs in the boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge & Waltham Forest regarding the decision of the Redbridge Labour Group to take parts of King George Hospital land out of Green Belt protection (1) and allow residential housing on the site per the Redbridge Local Plan to voted upon on March 15th at a full council meeting.
Matthew Hopkins, the Chief Executive of BHRUT, made a welcome commitment in letter in the Ilford Recorder on 8th February to say “We must not sell off hospital land” (2)
However, for Matthew's commitment to be credible, BHRUT needs to take the following two actions:
1 - Retract a key document of September 2016 by Bidwells (3) acting on behalf of BHRUT which states at page 1:
“BHRUT fully supports policy LP1B’s proposed removal of its surplus land at King George Hospital from the Green Belt and its proposed allocation for housing led development.”
Page 2 of the same Bidwell's document links the plan to close King George A&E to develop housing on the King George Site:
“The availability of the land for non-healthcare uses was confirmed by BHRUT’s approved Estates Strategy for the period 2014 to 2019. Most of this land has been redundant for some time but could not be released for development due to current planning policy constraints. The Estates Strategy is set in the context of the wider Health for North East London (Health4NEL) Review and BHRUT’s adopted Clinical Strategy. Neither anticipate the development of any surplus land at King George Hospital for new healthcare services in the foreseeable future. Indeed, as a consequence of the changes proposed to local service provision by Health4NEL and the Clinical Strategy, which focus on the transfer of acute care and emergency services to BHRUT’s principal service centre at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, a substantial reduction in services located at King George Hospital is anticipated.” (my emphasis in the above)
The source for claiming surplus land exists suitable for housing development on the King George Hospital site is the 2010 Health for NE London business plan (4) which at page 113 states:
“The parts of the King George Hospital site and buildings that can be decommissioned and mothballed.
The parts of the King George Hospital site and buildings that can be decommissioned cleared and sold
. Rationalisation between King George Hospital and mental health facilities on the Goodmayes site”
(2) BHRUT must write to Redbridge Council to say the local plan which is to be voted upon on March 15th 2017 must be amended to put King George land back into Green Belt protection
I wrote to Matthew Hopkins on 8.2.18 seeking that BHRUT withdraw the Bidwell's document and write to Redbridge Council bring the “surplus” King George land back into Green Belt protection. Matthew wrote back to me on 12.2.18.
“As
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