Dilke Hospital Site Sold to Gloucestershire Independent College for Community-Focused Redevelopment
The Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust has announced the sale of the former Dilke Hospital site in the Forest of Dean to Gloucestershire Independent College. The new owners plan to transform the location into an educational, social, and wellbeing hub for the local community.
Details
According to Kevin Adams, Associate Director of Estates for the Trust, the Dilke Hospital has been a valued community asset for over a century, supporting people in the Forest of Dean. When the site was vacated following the construction of the new Forest of Dean Community Hospital, the Trust was committed to securing the best financial value while also achieving social value for the local area.
The Gloucestershire Independent College, the new owners of the site, intends to use the former hospital for education, social, and wellbeing purposes. The college plans to create a high-quality educational setting for young people aged 14-25 on the autism spectrum, with complex needs and multi-learning disabilities. Alongside the day college, there are ambitions to establish a therapeutic unit and a health and wellbeing centre that will support students and the wider community.
The goal is to develop the site in a way that reflects its history and future potential as a place of learning, support, therapeutic care, and community connection. The college sees this as an opportunity to combine specialist education with broader wellbeing services, ensuring the site continues its long-standing contribution to the people of the Forest of Dean.
What You Need to Know
The Gloucestershire Independent College is expected to issue a further statement in the near future, providing more details on their vision for the redevelopment of the former Dilke Hospital site.