Wakefield Grammar School plans to landscape former hospital site to create new sports facilities

The hospital, which was built in the mid 19th century, has been taken over by the Wakefield Grammar School Foundation, whose schools neighbour the derelict site. Most of the buildings on the site, to the north of the city centre, have been demolished after councillors gave the go-ahead in 2021 for them to be flattened. The pavilion building still remains and is due to be restored and refurbished.

Sports facilities for students at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School and Wakefield Girls’ High School, including a multi-use games arena, will also be built on the site. The foundation has submitted plans to landscape the area until the building work can be carried out. The proposal includes building a new vehicle entrance from Wentworth Street, carrying out repairs to stone boundary walls and putting up railings.

The application also includes building new parking areas and a temporary path to connect the two schools. Plots earmarked for new buildings will be seeded with wild flowerbeds as a temporary measure. The site is to be secured by the foundation and will not be open for public use. Most of the existing trees within the site are to be retained, except those near to the new access from Wentworth Street. The property is within the St John’s Conservation Area.

A council conservation officer’s report states that the application is “acceptable on heritage grounds.” Outline permission for the overall scheme was first granted by Wakefield Council in 2017. But there have been significant delays due to Covid-19.

A design and access statement submitted to the council on behalf of the foundation says: ” The majority of the school’s fund-raising activities from March 2020 to December 2021 were put on hold. With the school being a charity, this had a detrimental impact on funding and income streams. In addition, the construction industry subsequently faced a supply chain crisis, which has led to an increase in the cost of materials.

“The high demand and short supply of skilled construction labour has also led to construction teams being able to command premium prices. The foundation are now seeking approval for the site landscaping works and site boundary treatments which are to be undertaken until such time that the Clayton campus masterplan can be implemented.”

Created by local philanthropists to provide free healthcare to Wakefield residents in the decades before the NHS, Clayton Hospital shut in 2012. The empty structures were subject to vandalism and disintegration in the years since. Redevelopment has been supported by Wakefield Civic Society.