Kingston Council has approved plans to demolish the disused Regent Wing of Kingston Hospital and replace it with 150 new build-to-rent flats. The former Victorian wing, empty since 2021, will be replaced by three six-storey apartment blocks at the Coombe Road site.
Details of the Development
The scheme, proposed by Bywater Properties, includes 150 build-to-rent flats, cycle storage, five Blue Badge parking bays, play areas, and a new public path linking Coombe Road to the site. The planning committee approved the application on Wednesday night, July 8, after considering it an improvement over previous proposals.
Conservative councillor Ian George said: "On balance, I think most residents think this is acceptable and better than the previous application."
History of the Regent Wing
Regent Wing was built in 1868 as an infirmary for Kingston Union Workhouse. It later served as offices for Kingston Hospital but has been empty since 2021 after being declared surplus by the Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust.
In 2022, the Planning Inspectorate granted Advanced Living (Kingston) Limited an appeal to demolish the wing and build 128 flats for older people, a wellness centre, and a restaurant in an eight-storey block. That scheme included 43 parking spaces but was never carried out.
Affordable Housing Contribution
Bywater Properties purchased the site and proposed improvements to the approved scheme. The developer offered to pay Kingston Council £2.3 million to fund affordable housing elsewhere, as building affordable homes on site was deemed unviable. Council officers noted that the build-to-rent flats would "offer higher-quality, managed and regulated rental housing that may be more readily available to occupiers to move into in comparison to for sale housing."
Officers concluded the development would "best optimise the site and represent a high standard of design as a result of well-considered architecture, layout and landscaping." Planning documents stated: "The application site presents a significant opportunity to deliver much-needed housing in the borough on the previously developed site in a highly sustainable location, close to Norbiton station. The proposal will create an exemplary development that sets a new standard for sustainable design, social value, and meaningful place-making."
