Clash over future of Wolverhampton's eye infirmary site

The empty Compton Road building – the subject of recent arson attacks – has been derelict for years.

It is still owned by the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, which is paying £40,000 a year in security costs to monitor the site.

It comes as the current eye infirmary, based at New Cross, is renovated to the tune of £1 million, which bosses had hoped to fund via the sale of the Compton Road building.

Trust chief executive David Loughton held showdown talks with council counterpart Simon Warren last week to express his 'disgust' at the council. He accused the authority of 'playing games' and turning down applications from companies wanting to take over the site.

It is believed the local authority wishes for any future redevelopment to make use of the existing building.

But New Cross chiefs says any prospective buyers – and supermarket chain Aldi have been the front-runners of late – would strongly prefer to demolish the whole building and start from scratch.

Mr Loughton said: "I met the chief executive to express my disgust at having been blanked again.

"It's absolutely derelict, it's an eyesore, but we cannot sell it. I'm really annoyed and this is the price some people pay for playing games."

The trust is working with developers to submit planning applications as no company will buy it from them until they get assurances from council planning chiefs that the site can be demolished.

It cost £6m to move the eye infirmary from the historic Compton Road base to New Cross Hospital in 2007.

The value of the Compton Road building was around £6m back then, but is now thought to have decreased considerably.

The building was originally earmarked for more than 100 flats but the deal fell through and in recent years the site has been subject to a number of vandalism and arson attacks.

The £1m renovation of the new eye infirmary, which will see facilities modernised and extended, is due for completion at the end of August.

When it was moved to New Cross, mass protests ensued and a 48,000-name petition to Downing Street, while supporters held candlelight vigils when it finally shut.

The building had originally been earmarked for more than 100 flats but was put back on the market when the deal fell through. In recent years it has become a target for vandals and last August almost 30 firefighters tackled a large blaze.

Crews had to rescue three squatters using ladders to get them out of the building.

They were later taken to New Cross Hospital for treatment after suffering from smoke inhalation.

Stephen Alexander, head of planning at Wolverhampton City Council, said: "Discussions are being held with potential developers and investment will be encouraged."

Meanwhile, the new £28 million A&E unit at New Cross Hospital will be delayed if a business case for the development is not completed in time, health chiefs have warned.

Bosses have admitted they face a race against time to get the plans in place – and say that if the 'very tight' time frame is missed then it won't open by November 2015 as proposed.

The unit will be three times the size of the current under-pressure department, which was branded as 'unfit for purpose'.

The chief executive of the trust, which runs New Cross Hospital, David Loughton, said: "We absolutely have to get the business case to the Trust Development Authority in May. The price of not doing that is not having the emergency department for winter 2015." The business case will go before the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust board in March.