2015
The Borough’s website reports that : “On 16 July 2015 Cabinet agreed to the permanent closure of Thamesbrook and disposal of the site. This will enable plans to be brought forward for up to 100 new units of extra care housing for older people, either on the Thamesbrook site or on a large Council-owned site at Lots Road, or shared across both. Although the configuration is yet to be agreed, some of these homes will be for the private market, for which there is a strong local demand, and at least half will be at affordable rents”.
The Borough had consulted on the future of this home, which had closed during 2014 due to the discovery of Legionnaires Disease, considering 4 options:
- refurbish or re-build
- permanently close, then re-develop the site for affordable extra care housing
- permanently close, then sell the site for private development for extra care housing; move residents to proposed new Lots Rd site
- permanently close, then sell the site for private development for other uses, such as residential
We had opposed the change of use to residential or other. As an association we had been working closely with other local RAs to propose alternative solutions to the Brompton’s development plans – these solution contemplated a more cohesive medical centre including the Brompton Hospital, Marsden Hospital, the Cancer Research Institute, and other medical entities and Thamesbrook could be a component of the medical centre. Therefore, we argued that any decision regarding Thamesbrook needed to mesh with this approach.