Houses planned for site of former

 Alexander Hospital

 

Feb 7 2008 By Graham Mann, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

THE site of the former Alexander Hospital in Coatbridge could soon be up for sale if outline planning permission is granted.

Plans to redevelop the Blair Road site for residential use were recommended for approval subject to conditions when they went before councillors at yesterday's planning and transportation committee.

Although the old building does not have listed status, John O'Hagan, executive director of corporate services, recommended the retention of the entire old hospital building or its facade.

The conditions also stipulate that the total number of dwelling units within the proposed site shall not be more than 50, and the site should include a single point of vehicular access located at the north-most section.

One letter of objection was received. In summary, it stated' The building is part of Coatbridge's heritage and is in excellent condition. It would be sacrilege to demolish the building.¯

Mr O''Hagan said: -The opportunity to retain the old hospital building - either entirely or just the facade - weighs significantly in its favour and this in part provides justification for allowing vehicular access which would be below the normal acceptable standard¯
 

The Alexander Hospital was built and endowed from a bequest left by John Alexander, ironmaster and first Provost of Coatbridge. It opened in 1899 and accepted surgical and non-infectious cases from Shotts and Old and New Monklands.
 

There were 20 beds in the original hospital, which was extended in 1925.

In 1948, it passed into the National Health Service under the Board of Management for Coatbridge, Airdrie and District Hospitals. An outpatient department was added in 1954 and a GP maternity unit in 1962. The hospital was placed in the Monklands and Cumbernauld District of Lanarkshire Health Board in 1974 and closed in 1978.

It re-opened soon after as Alexander Resource Centre, run by North Lanarkshire Council, but the doors closed for a final time in November 2005.

A spokesperson for NHS Lanarkshire said:  'Outline planning permission is being sought in preparation for the marketing of the site.

 'All previous services that were available at the former Alexander Hospital have now been integrated into the purpose-built facilities at Coathill Hospital. '

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Blaze spells end for old

Alexander Hospital

Nov 4 2009 by Judith Tonner, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

 

A HISTORIC Coatbridge building is to be demolished after suffering severe damage when it was set ablaze on Friday afternoon.

Flames ripped through the upper storeys of the derelict Alexander Hospital in Blair Road, at about 1pm.

Crews from Coatbridge fire station rushed to the scene to find the top floor and roof of the three-storey building were well alight.

They were soon joined by colleagues from Bellshill and an aerial platform was used as a water tower to douse the flames from above.

Police say the cause of the fire was  'wilful ' and are following a positive line of enquiry after two youths were spotted running away from the scene.

Blair Road had to be sealed off as firefighters battled the flames, affecting pupils at nearby St Ambrose High whose buses had to be diverted at the end of the school day.

The Alexander Hospital building is owned by NHS Lanarkshire who had previously put it up for sale after outline permission was granted in February, 2008, for its conversion into flats.

A spokesman for the health authority said 'As a result of the fire, the former Alexander Hospital was subject to extensive damage. It was surveyed by North Lanarkshire Council and, due to the condition of the building, a demolition order has been issued

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