TO date several sites have been suggested for use to build a new hospital for Warrington.

I’d like to comment on why none of these proposed sites are suitable.

  • New Town House (concrete monstrosity) – absolute no no. Can you imagine the impact on the roads and town infrastructure?
  • Unilever/Crosfields site – would cost millions to demolish and decontaminate the brown site. Access would be a nightmare for pedestrians and motorists alike.

My suggestion would be to demolish all the buildings on the north side of the existing Lovely Lane site – including the Victorian hospital and all single-storey buildings.

I hear you say ‘what! Demolish a Victorian building with all that history’ – unfortunately Warrington council has a history of demolishing old buildings:

  • The Bay Horse, Winwick Street – now a car park
  • Original Grammar School, School Brow (really old) – now a WBC storage yard.

So a precedent has been set.

Once this large area had been cleared a new build could start while the existing hospital remains open as usual.

A tower block car park could be built somewhere in the site or they could explore the possibility of excavation and create underground parking.

Applying sense to this kind of decision is not likely to happen when WBC seems to be focused on continuing to support ‘Mickey Mouse’ banks and the hospital grasping government ‘tit bit’ handouts for extensions/ refurbishment.

I personally feel we will not see a new hospital on any site and as for us achieving city status, never.

TOMMY SWIFT Houghton Green