National Temperance Hospital site in Hampstead Road to be sold to highest bidder

Published: 11th November, 2010
by DAN CARRIER

THE National Temper­ance Hospital site in Hampstead Road is set to be sold off to the highest bidder on the open ­market – despite calls for it to be used for social housing. 

The building, which has been empty for more than a decade, is current­ly owned by the Medical Research Council. The science group had planned to use it for new laboratories but have now signed up to a ­con­sortium with other research bodies to build a £600­million centre in Brill Place, Somers Town.

The site has long been earmarked for social housing – and now, with the National Temperance Hospital lying empty, campaigners are calling on it to be handed over to the Town Hall for affordable homes if planning permission should be given for the controversial lab.

Holborn and St Pancras MP Frank Dobson said: “I have always said to the MRC that in exchange for taking away Brill Place, Camden Council should be given the National Temperance Hospital. It could be used to make lovely houses over­looking St James Gardens.”

At a swanky ceremony on Tuesday at the Wellcome Trust in Euston Road, chiefs from University College London, the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council and Cancer Research UK signed contracts binding them to build the £600m mega-research unit opposite St Pancras station. They are currently applying for planning permission.

At the event, MRC chairman John Chisholm said: “The National Temperance Hospital is not on the market but we have decided we will dispose of it at the right time. We have to get value for it because it’s an imp­or­tant part of our assets.”

An MRC spokesman added the property had been bought in 2006 before they knew they would come in on the Brill Place consortium. 

They added: “The MRC is unable to consider the sale of the National Temperance Hospital until the UKCMRI receives full planning consent. If UKCMRI receives planning consent, it is possible that the NTH site will be surplus to the MRC’s requirements. At that point, a decision will be made on its future use which will have to take into account the need to obtain best value for the site for the public purse.”

Tuesday’s event saw Minister for Universities and Science Tory MP David Willetts confirm the government were pledging £236m to the scheme, saying the investment was crucial to creating jobs in research, although the scheme faces stiff opposition.

Pressure group St Pancras and Somers Town Planning Action said the signing ceremony had been organised in secret because the UKCMRI knows how unpopular the scheme is. SPA chair Natalie Bennett said: “It is indicative of the developing consortium’s awareness of the strength of opposition that they only informed selected Camden councillors the day before the event, and made no public announcement of it.”