Lancaster hospice gets green light on £750k family support centre plans

There had been concerns that Lancaster City Council's planning committee would reject the St John's Hospice scheme after officers recommended it was refused.

A refusal would have meant the hospice would lose out on a £750,000 donation for the work to be carried out.

A couple who wish to remain anonymous offered the money for a centre, which will provide therapeutic support and counselling for children and young people aged four to 16 and their families who have lost parents, siblings and close relatives.

The application followed research undertaken last year with Lancaster University which highlighted gaps in local service provision regarding whole family support, pre and post bereavement.

It is hoped the new two-storey centre will be completed during 2021 to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the hospice.

Almost 30 members of the public, including the hospice's immediate neighbours, Slyne-with-Hest Parish Council and Lancaster MP Cat Smith, supported the plans.

Many felt it was a much-needed community facility which would enable the hospice to continue to support the local community and contribute towards the locality’s wellbeing.

It will also reduce the need to rely on services further away.

The new development plans meant the Slyne Road hospice had to apply to the city council for a 19th century lodge on its site to be demolished to make way for the centre.

It is the former gate lodge to Slynedales, which is the former 1890s country house to the west of the hospice that has been occupied by CancerCare since 1990.

It was converted to office use, and later housed dropped-off donations for the charity, but is currently not in use, and the hospice sees it as an ideal location for a new centre.

The shape and style of the building has been designed to be attractive to families and young people and is purposely similar to the buildings on the Beaumont College site rather than the hospice.

Council officers said in their report to councillors that Slynedales Lodge was a non-designated heritage asset and that the loss of the building was 'not justified'.

Ahead of Monday's meeting they said: "Clearly the proposed family support centre would represent a valuable asset in terms of the delivery of much needed pre and post bereavement care, and it would appear to resolve a gap in service provision across the district.

"These are matters that weigh positively in terms of the planning balance. However, the principle and design of the development is considered to be unacceptable and is not in compliance with relevant development plan policies or the National Planning Policy Framework.

"The application seeks planning permission to demolish a non-designated heritage asset and to replace it with a family bereavement centre.

"Whilst the basic principle of a community use is acceptable and is compliant...the loss of the non-designated heritage asset is not justified.

"Officers are unable to conclude that there are material overriding public benefits to warrant the loss of the non-designated heritage asset."

However, while acknowledging the officers' viewpoint, councillors went against the recommendation and approved permission for the work to take place in a 13 to 2 vote.

Coun Sandra Thornberry, chair of the planning committee, said: “The benefit of a bereavement centre and the benefits to the local community that it would bring were never in doubt.

“The discussion was mainly about whether this outweighed the heritage loss due to the demolition of the lodge.

“Our planning officers have a duty to follow the policies and advise us accordingly, which they quite rightly did in this case.

“However, as a committee, we are able to take a different view and believe that the benefits of having a much-needed community facility, which will allow the hospice to expand its level of care, outweigh the potential harm.”

Sue McGraw, chief executive at St John's Hospice, said: "We are delighted to announce that Lancaster City Council has given St John's the green light to go ahead with the building of a much-needed Family and Children's Bereavement Support Centre, here at the hospice.

"Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donation we have the opportunity to make this long-held dream come true - of families being supported together rather than across different services.

"From the bottom of our hearts, we thank the Lancaster city councillors for helping us make the future a kinder place for the community. We look forward to working with them and our wider community to build an amazing centre for all."