18 C O N T E X T 1 2 2 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 1 scheme has been achieved, including marine-related jobs, a café, a restaurant and housing. Haslar Hospital raises a number of challenges as the site moves towards an application. The historic legacy of this internationally famous site is immense. This vast naval hospital received wounded from every major conflict from the mid-18th century onwards, including Trafalgar, Waterloo and the D-Day landings. There are several listed buildings, focusing on the enormous Grade II* main hospital itself. It is in a conservation area and the grounds are a listed historic park.The site is rich in archaeology, with thousands of burials on the site. A conservation area appraisal can be viewed on the borough council’s website. Documents requested at outline stage have included a conservation management plan. This is an umbrella document incorporating an analysis of the development of the historic landscape and a review of historic plans of the site to explain how it developed and the relative importance of buildings within this broader context. It will also include a photographic survey of the historic buildings, identifying features of interest and demonstrating that in principle the buildings are convertible to the uses proposed. An archaeological management plan is incorporated. The announcement of the closure led to numerous large-scale protests, the site being both a military and NHS hospital. The council is clear in wanting to see a medical use retained on site, in addition to the acceptance that a mixed scheme is inevitable. The Royal Haslar website explains the plans in more detail, although by the time this article is published it is likely they will have moved on somewhat. The site’s reuse will be of increasing concern, as such wealth of assets remains unused. Viability on such an exceptional heritage site will be the focus of a great deal of attention.With world-class historic buildings in a spectacular waterfront location, Gosport, in spite of the many complexities, is an area of enormous potential. The past decade has seen some significant developments, and with the MoD releases some extraordinary sites are coming to public attention for the first time. The challenge is to promote this heritage and use it to draw in further employment-generating opportunities. See www.gosport.gov.uk www.royalhaslar.com, www.victorianforts.co.uk and www. haslarheritagegroup.co.uk Royal ClarenceYard is being developed by Berkeley Homes, and Haslar by Our Enterprise. Rob Harper is head of conservation and design at Gosport Borough Council. The centre of the main facade to Haslar Hospital. When first built it was the largest brick building in the world. The CrimeanWar Gunboat Sheds close to the Haslar site are long out of use. An aerial photo of the Haslar Hospital site
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