A VICTORIAN psychiatric hospital that has stood derelict for nearly 20 years is set to be bought by Denbighshire County Council.

The North Wales Hospital in Denbigh closed in 1995 and despite a succession of owners and plans for housing, has stood derelict since.

Yesterday Denbighshire County Council’s cabinet agreed to seek a compulsory purchase order (CPO) on the listed building after “lack of progress” by owners Freemont (Denbigh) Limited, based in the British Virgin Islands.

Councillors also agreed to allow council officers to make a direct offer to buy the property from Freemont. 

If granted by the Welsh Government a CPO would force Freemont to sell up to Denbighshire County Council (DCC),  for newly formed non-profit organisation North Wales Building Preservation Trust to manage restoration of the Grade II* listed building and selling of surrounding land.

Council leader Hugh Evans said it would have a large impact on both Denbigh and Denbighshire if the site was finally developed.

“As it stands it’s just a burden on everybody... it’s just going to waste.” he said.

But with no clear plans for the site’s future and its value still to be assessed, some councillors were cautious.

Cabinet member Cllr Bobby Feeley said: “It’s quite difficult to put your hand up and say ‘ok, go ahead’ without knowing the costs involved.

“Is it going to be £600 or £6 million?”

Cabinet member Cllr Eryl Williams asked for assurance none of the council’s own money was intended to be spent on the project.

A report presented to cabinet said: “Given the size of the site and the costs of its restoration there are clearly significant financial risks around this project.

“The council does have some funds set aside to progress the project but needs to manage these very carefully.

“While a CPO is the obvious next step given the lack of progress with the current owners, the council must ensure that it has a very clear exit route so that it does not end up taking on significant liabilities.”

Compensation paid to the owners for the CPO was expected to be offset by the repair liabilities, it said, and the council would be also be repaid by the sale of development land.

“Even in the worst case scenario therefore the cost to DCC should be nil over the medium to long term,” it added.

The cabinet was also told developing the site would ensure “access to good quality housing” - but, said Cllr Evans, he was not in a position to say what specific plans for the site would be.

The move comes after the deadline for the owners to comply with a repairs notice, served in May, expired this week.

The council also served Freemont with an urgent works notice in 2011, and when not complied with carried out £930,000 of work to safeguard the building from collapse, remove asbestos and construct a temporary roof.

But Freemont are appealing paying bills for the council work. Two appeals have been turned down by the Welsh Government, but three are currently with the Planning Inspectorate.

Before granting a CPO the Welsh Government must be satisfied that there is a  "reasonable likelihood"  of the listed building being restored, using funds from the sell-off of housing land.

Further talks and a final decision on the site will be made by the council's planning committee on September 11.

The chequered history of the North Wales Hospital

THERE are few buildings more controversial than the former North Wales Hospital in Denbigh, writes THOMAS MORTON.

The derelict Victorian asylum covers 55 acres and still dominates the town’s skyline.

Long touted for a large housing development, the site was recently suggested as a possible location for the proposed North Wales ‘super prison’, but now appears out of the running.

The main building is Grade II* listed, but in an advanced state of disrepair.

Opened in 1848, the hospital on Nantglyn Road once housed 1,500 patients.

It was the first psychiatric institution in Wales and a major employer for Denbigh and the surrounding area.

The hospital closed in stages from 1991 to 2002, with the main building shutting its doors in 1995.

The Free Press reported earlier this year how it had become a magnet for thrillseekers breaking in, despite 70 signs on-site warning risk of death, from collapse of the building or asbestos-related lung disease.

The latest trespassers are by no means the first - the site has been subject to vandalism for more than a decade.

In 2008, a report in The Leader described the inside of the building: “Anything of any value has been stripped.

“Cast iron radiators have been ripped off walls or are missing altogether and any brass fixtures, from light switches and bolts, to door handles and hinges, are missing.

“The majority of windows, both internally and externally, have been smashed and doors ripped off hinges.

“Lead has been stolen off the roof so rain falls through the tiles and into the building which has caused the upper floors to collapse.

“The main hall, where the first patients' annual ball was held in 1852, has twice been deliberately set on fire and the main stage stands charred as it falls apart.”

In October the same year the team from UK Living show Most Haunted caused a stir when they visited the building for a seven-night live halloween ‘investigation’, tactfully called “Village of the Damned”.

Before its closure options suggested for the building included an army barracks, a hotel or a college.

The site was finally sold at a much reduced price in 1999 for £155,000, but the buildings became increasingly dilapidated.

Among items taken was the 19th century clock from the hospital tower, the fate of which is still unknown today.

In 2002 it was sold to new owners for £310,000 after the council threatened enforcement action, and things looked up in 2004 when Prince Charles visited the site and his Pheonix Trust (now the Prince’s Regeneration Trust) took an interest.

In May 2005, the Council granted permission for housing at the site, as long as the owner paid towards restoration of the main building, and it changed hands again, to offshore company Freemont, with the agreement in place.

But at the end of September 2009, the balance of the restoration fund was not paid and the planning permission lapsed.

The hospital site appears as a case study in the Prince’s Regeneration Trust ‘sustainable heritage toolkit’ under “lessons to be learned”.

It says: “The disposal and re-development of this Victorian hospital and associated buildings, once described by the Welsh historic environment agency Cadw as the finest purpose-built hospital in Wales, has been beset with problems for more than 15 years.

“The local authority could be placed at significant financial risk if they were to acquire the site while the condition of the buildings continue to deteriorate.”