History of Buildings and Planning

Mr Bhailok, a multi-millionaire business man from Preston, was given permission to knock down the former Sharoe Green Hospital and replace it with 110 homes, business space and a health centre, that he will charge the NHS to use.

A councillor revealed there had been discussions in the past about turning the derelict building which is the former maternity hospital site, into a park and ride facility linked to the Royal Preston Hospital, but the plans never went ahead.

He said: "The hospital doesn't feel it's suitable in terms of practicality in terms of the staff. I would say it's clearly not the kind of place to put a park and ride. All you're effectively doing is extending the hospital site."

This comes at a time when recent events such as the controversially approved mosque on Watling Street Road and the sale of the former orphanage at Harris Park which have caused upset in Fulwood.

Now, there are plans to create a conservation group to protect the area's jewels. Evening Post historian Keith Johnson looks at how the area became the pride of a city.

Councillor Geoff Driver - Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Review Board said: -

"The Royal Preston Hospital is an important asset to the City and we are indeed fortunate to have such extensive high quality medical facilities right on our doorstep. But we have to recognise that such facilities inevitably cause traffic congestion in the City as a whole and particularly in the immediate vicinity of the hospital - that's why we're conducting the study. We welcomed the opportunity to talk to Tony Curtis, the Chief Executive, and Ian Cox, the Director of Facilities. We had a very interesting and informative meeting and they were very open about the hospital's proposals and how they would affect the City's transportation systems. We have much more work to do and we shall be interviewing more of the people involved but we are determined that the outcomes of the review will help the hospital to continue to serve the community and at the same time minimise the impact on residents, especially those living near the hospital, who are affected by traffic."