Detailed plans to bulldoze a former wing of Kingston Hospital for 150 new homes have been unveiled.

The future of Regents Wing, on Coombe Road, has been hanging in the balance since it stopped being used by Kingston Hospital in 2021.

The Planning Inspectorate granted Advanced Living (Kingston) Limited's appeal to demolish the wing and build 128 new flats for elderly people, a wellness centre and restaurant in a block up to eight storeys tall in 2022. The plans included 43 parking spaces, but were never carried out.

Early CGI for the plans for Coombe Road (Credit: Bywater Properties)

New owner Bywater Properties bought the site in 2024 and has now published detailed plans to transform it, after consulting with residents in June.

It wants to build 150 new homes across three blocks on the site, with a mix of one to three bedrooms, along with 260 cycle parking spaces, green space and a play area.

The development would be 'car-free', except for designated Blue Badge spaces, and feature 50 new trees. It would have facilities for residents on the ground floor, including co-working spaces, an indoor gym and a lounge.

The central block would have a concierge to manage the site.

A website set up by Bywater outlines key differences between the approved scheme and its plans.

It says the revised development would have a smaller footprint, allowing for much more green space, while the tallest block would be shorter, at 21.3 metres instead of 28.5 metres.

It adds there would be more distance between the new blocks and neighbours' gardens on Wolverton Avenue.

The website said: "Following Bywater's purchase of the site in 2024, we have been working hard to design an improved scheme which relates more comfortably to its surrounding context, while continuing to deliver much-needed new homes for Kingston."

It added: "Our proposals have been designed to ensure that the character of the local area is respected and enhanced by the development, ensuring that the new buildings become a part of the community."

Regents Wing is a Victorian building which was previously the infirmary for Kingston Union Workhouse. It was later used as offices for Kingston Hospital, but it is no longer part of Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust and has been empty since 2021.

Bywater will need to submit a planning application to Kingston Council for the scheme, which would need to be approved for it to go ahead.