A historic gate lodge at St Luke’s Hospital in Armagh could be given a new purpose under plans submitted by the Southern Trust.
The application seeks permission to convert the Grade B2 listed building at the entrance to the Loughgall Road hospital site into supported living accommodation. The proposal is intended to address an identified need for accommodation for care leavers.
Proposed changes to the listed building
The single-storey Gate Lodge was built around 1825 for the hospital, which originally operated as Armagh’s Lunatic Asylum. The lodge and the adjoining classical asylum were designed by architects Francis Johnston and William Murray.
The building is currently uninhabited and consists of an existing shell with an earth floor. It has approximately 60 square metres of internal floorspace.
If permission is granted, the lodge would undergo a full internal refurbishment to create a single-bedroom home. Plans also include a rear extension of about 20 square metres to provide essential domestic facilities, including a kitchen.
A shed is also proposed, along with a private rear garden to provide amenity space. The garden would include a one-metre-high wall and yard.
The application suggests that a small extension similar to the one now proposed may previously have stood at the rear of the building, although it was later demolished.
Accommodation for care leavers
A Design and Access Statement prepared by Michael Herron Architects says an Estates feasibility report identified a strategic need for sheltered accommodation for care leavers. The report also identified the Gate Lodge as a viable asset for that purpose.
A care leaver is generally a young person or adult who has spent time in state care, including foster or residential care, and leaves the care system between the ages of 16 and 25. The definition cited in the application refers to people who typically spent at least 13 weeks in care after turning 14.
The proposed use would therefore provide a single supported living home within a building that is currently empty, while retaining its connection to the historic hospital entrance.
Heritage considerations
The architects’ statement says the Gate Lodge forms part of the historic entrance sequence to St Luke’s Hospital and retains its original character.
In support of the proposal, the statement says the work would preserve and enhance the listed building, provide accommodation for care leavers and reinstate historic landscape features.
The building is currently included on the Heritage Buildings At Risk register because it is not inhabited. The application says the proposed refurbishment would remove it from that register if approved.
The proposal remains a planning application. The source material does not state whether permission has been granted or provide a decision date.