Plans approved to demolish former Bede Wing at South Tyneside District Hospital

South Tyneside Council’s planning department has approved an application for the former Bede Wing building within the borough’s hospital site.

A planning application submitted earlier this year said the former mental health unit was “built in 1995 and decommissioned in 2015” and has since “fallen into disrepair”.

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust hope to demolish the site next year, with demolition scheduled between January and March, 2025.

The demolition application also referenced proposals for an ‘aseptic and radio pharmacy suite’ on the site of the former Bede Wing, a type of facility linked to the production and preparation of medicines.

But bosses at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, in a previous statement, stressed there is no “firm plan” for the future of the Bede Wing site post-demolition.

They added that demolition provides a “blank canvas to move forward”,  as well as opportunities to bid for national funding.

After considering the demolition application, South Tyneside Council’s planning department approved it on November 8, 2024.

A council decision report states that following demolition of the buildings, the land will remain “grubbed up” until a new use is agreed to proceed.

It was also noted that the proposed method of demolition and site restoration would be acceptable, and planning conditions require demolition to be brought forward within five years.

The council decision report adds: “The proposed method of demolition would be appropriate given the scale of the building.

“The proposed method of site restoration would also be acceptable, leaving the site in a tidy condition.”

Peter Sutton, executive director of planning and business development at the NHS trust, speaking in October, 2024, said: “The Bede Wing has not been used for almost a decade now and is no longer fit for purpose.

“A key part of our estates strategy is to remove old buildings from our sites.

“These often cost us money, but do not help us as we care for our patients.

“Once this demolition is complete, it will give us a blank canvas to move forward.

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“It also means if there is national funding that comes up, we will be ready to bid for it.

“We do not yet have a firm plan for the space it will create.  We are very clear, though, that we do want to keep building and investing on our site in South Tyneside.

“Once we have some firmer plans to share, we will let people know about these.”

The demolition of buildings at hospital sites are often proposed to replace ageing health infrastructure and to open up opportunities for improved facilities.

At South Tyneside District Hospital, work previously took place to demolish The Leas building and a former staff accommodation block next door.

At Sunderland Royal Hospital, which falls under the same NHS health trust, plans were approved to demolish a hospital building formerly used for sexual health services to make way for more parking spaces.

For more information on the Bede Wing demolition, visit South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website and search reference: ST/0631/24/DEM.