Work to begin on St George's revamp

Building work on the new St George's Park development in Stafford is finally ready to start.

The old St George's Hospital building in Corporation Street is being completely re-developed by developer Fred Pritchard's Chaseregen business.

Initial work will see the building made wind and weather tight and new road services provided. Within the building 120 apartments with modern features are being created to be called St George's Court.

This artist's impression shows how the A34 Queensway runs to the west of the development site and to the east are the houses along the dead-straight Corporation Street. The site is bounded to the north by the walls of Stafford Prison and to the south by the remaining operational parts of St George's Hospital which are the base of Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

The scheme will also see the conversion of the chapel and refectory into apartments on the ground floor with managed office space.

The external elevations will not be affected and will be retained effectively as they are, but will be fully restored.

Within the parkland setting there will be a jogging/walking path, a putting green and bowling green to the rear and garden areas.

St Chad's Court will be regenerated to provide 14 town houses or 28 apartments depending on planning consent being obtained. There is an existing planning permission for offices in the Victorian building.

Foundation Court, the office area to the rear, will be the next project to have the designs finalised on and then Queensway Court, which currently has an office planning permission will also be expanded to incorporate managed office space with facilities for young entrepreneurs and established businesses.

A hotel is also planned which will probably be run through the Ramada chain via Pritchard Hotels Ltd, similar in standard to the existing hotel at Cannock. Negotiations are taking place with residential developers over Crooked Bridge Court along with the land fronting Queensway for building affordable homes.

Mr Pritchard said: "What Pritchard Group Plc is endeavouring to do is provide something for everyone.

"We feel we will achieve this at St George's Park and particularly St George's Court in the magnificent existing building. On completion there will be nothing like it in terms of quality of apartment complete with its own storage which most apartments lack today and the facilities also of a health and fitness suite, board room, library and a coffee lounge."