Plans lodged for Wolverhampton former Royal Hospital

As part of the project the old nurses' accommodation block in Vicarage Road will be flattened and replaced by a new building containing 24 apartments.

Meanwhile the hospital lodge building in Cleveland Road will be converted to a café and community facilities.

The main Grade-II listed building will be retained - along with its iconic facade - and will feature 53 apartments.

And 115 homes will be built on land at the rear of the existing buildings, either side of Sutherland Place.

It is now up to Wolverhampton council to decide whether to grant planning permission for the scheme.

If approved, it is understood work could begin on site around a year later.

The site is owned by Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and Cushman & Wakefield have been employed as planning consultants.

Mark Jackson, partner in Cushman & Wakefield’s planning team in Birmingham, said: “We are delighted to be involved in this important development for the city.

“The scheme will bring back the main hospital building into beneficial use and create a unique location to live in the city.

“The application has been informed by extensive consultation with Wolverhampton City Council and local residents.”

There has been renewed interest in the old hospital in recent months after the former bus depot which had blocked the view from Bilston Road and the ring road was demolished.

That site is also being developed by the HCA and will accommodate 146 new homes once complete, once again blocking the view.

The hospital site itself had long been lined up as a £65m Tesco superstore but it was among a string of building projects dropped by the company in 2015 as it cut back in the wake of falling sales figures.

Karl Tupling, general manager for the HCA in the West Midlands, said: "After more than a decade of development delays associated with the former site owners, the HCA's proposals will speed up the construction of new homes and re-integrate this area of Wolverhampton with the city centre, creating a safe and thriving community.”

Wolverhampton council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for City Assets and Housing, Councillor Peter Bilson, added: "This planning application is very welcome news for the city.”

"We have been working closely with the HCA on their plans to ensure the building is preserved and sensitively developed.

“It will be great to see this historic building and its surroundings brought back into use, while at the same time delivering a major boost to housing in the city.”