Heritage body raise concerns over Royal Hospital transformation
Historic England has raised concerns over plans to transform the former Royal Hospital in Wolverhampton into homes.
The national heritage advisory group says the historical importance the 1910-built Nurses Home at the site, which would be demolished, has been 'underplayed'.
It comes as the Council for British Archaeology has said not enough detail has been given on the home for Wolverhampton council to make a decision.
The nurses' home would be knocked down and replaced with a three-storey apartment, under plans by the Homes and Communities Agency.
The Grade II-listed main hospital building, built 65 years before the block, would be converted into 53 apartments under the £25million scheme.
But the proposal has met mounting opposition.
In December the Victorian Society said the nurses' home, which it describes as an 'attractive' Edwardian Queen Anne style building, should be retained.
Now Historic England have raised concerns over knocking down the home, which has not been used for more than 20 years.
The Homes and Community Agency had initially planned to retain the building, but since concluded it was past repairing, adding the new apartment block would still 'reflect the character of the main hospital building'.
In a letter to Wolverhampton council, Sarah Lewis, from Historic England, said: "Having consider the historic area assessment, Historic England is concerned that it underplays the importance of historic and evidential value to significance and thus underplays the heritage value of the nuses' block.
"We are not therefore convinced by the assessment's conclusion that the impact of the loss of the nurses' block on significance is slight but consider that the total loss of historic fabric involved amounts to substantial harm."
She added it was up to the council to decide if the proposed scheme showed enough 'substantial public benefits' for the knocking down of the home to go ahead.
The Council for British Archaeology also sent a letter to the council, stating concern over a lack of information on the heritage assets linked to the main hospital building.
As part of the overall scheme, the hospital lodge building Cleveland Road will converted into a cafe and community facilities.
The developer also wants to build 115 homes on land at the rear of the existing buildings, either side of Sutherland Place.
Wolverhampton council received the planning application in October. A decision is expected later this year.
