Professional team picked for 150-acre Whittingham Hospital site

Homes England has chosen a team including CampbellReith, Barton Willmore, and JLL to develop a planning and disposal strategy for a 150-acre site near Preston, formerly home to the largest psychiatric hospital in Britain.

The Whittingham Hospital site, near the village of Goosnargh and around five miles outside Preston, was built in 1873 and grew to be the largest of its type in Britain, hosting nearly 3,000 patients across a wide range of buildings. The hospital also formerly had its own rail link before it closed in 1995.

The site was acquired by Homes England, then the Homes & Communities Agency, as part of its 2005 Hospital Sites Programme, but has not been redeveloped owing to market conditions, planning issues, and infrastructure constraints.

Homes England has now chosen CampbellReith to develop a masterplan for the site, alongside other services including an infrastructure plan, viability, and ground investigation, to unlock the site for residential development.

It is expected the housing development will require significant infrastructure works including a new spine road and the installation of sewerage works. Other options for the site include a new-build sports and social club.

CampbellReith will work alongside Barton Willmore, JLL, the Vinden Partnership, The Environmental Partnership, Tuffin Ferraby Taylor, and Prime Transport on the project.