DOZENS of jobs could be coming to Ruthin if plans to renovate a derelict Victorian mansion and former mental hospital are approved.
As the Free Press reported last month an application for a giant multi-million pound ‘care village’ at the former Pool Park Hospital near Ruthin has been submitted to
Denbighshire County Council.
Ruthin based Roberts Homes said this week the development would create jobs for local people.
“It will probably create 50 jobs, some probably part time,” said owner Ian Roberts.
“There should be jobs for cooks, nurses, maintenance staff and gardeners.”
Plans for the complex involve a 38 bedroom nursing home; 32 apartments/dwellings and the refurbishment of existing buildings to provide a further six dwellings.
Pool Park Hall was built by landowner Sir Walter Bagot in 1820 and later owned by the Tate family of Tate and Lyle fame.
In 1937 it opened as a mental hospital to ease the overcrowding at the North Wales Mental Hospital in Denbigh, housing mainly long-stay patients.
It closed in 1988 and the Grade 2* listed building has since deteriorated.
The gardens, including a walled kitchen garden which is also listed in the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest, have overgrown.
Roberts Homes has owned Pool Park Hall since 1990.
“We spent a number of years consulting with Denbighshire Council on this,” said Mr Roberts.
“This will come before the planning committee, but I don’t know when yet.”
In drawing up their current proposals the developers said they have worked closely with experts from CADW, and in documents supporting the application they state: “Great care has been taken during the design to understand the character and heritage value of the site and its features and to ensure that the buildings and landscape are respected and conserved.”
The owners say that the new buildings in the ground are vital to cover the cost of renovating the hall itself.
“The concept of maintaining a peaceful village community is fundamental to the development,” they state.
Ruthin councillor Bobby Feeley said she was concerned at how overgrown the hall had become but that she would wait for more information about the plans from officers before taking a stance.
“It’s very early days yet,” she said.
“I hadn’t seen it for 20 odd years and when I saw it I was shocked at the state of it.
“As for jobs that’s a long way off because it hasn’t come before the planning committee yet. I’ll have to wait and see what the planning officers say and then make up my mind.”
About 50 local people attended a meeting last year at which the developers outlined their proposals and though some individual concerns were raised there was general support for the historic hall being brought back into use.