VETERANS VILLAGE

HASLAR VILLAGE VETERANS PROJECT

The previous page was: "Veterans Medical"

Many will have heard recently of the initiative to develop the Royal Naval Hospital site at Haslar into a Veterans Village. The site is in the process of being purchased from the Ministry of Defence and a Trust is being formed to develop and run the site.

This will be a Veterans Village Charity that will cater for retired Servicemen and women of all ranks, irrespective of the branch of Service, but with priority being given to Seafarers who have served their country. The ambition is to see this as an exemplar project caring for our retired Service people for the next 250 years.

Some will be familiar with the 63 acre site in Gosport but for those who have not yet had the opportunity to visit, the following is a brief outline. The Haslar site was originally purchased in 1749 and work began to turn it into a Royal Naval Hospital which opened with its first patient in 1753.

Veterans Medical

Former Naval Hospital for over 250 years

The site contains over one hundred buildings (many of them Grade II* listed) and it is located on the Gosport peninsular overlooking Spithead and a short ferry crossing to Portsmouth.

The site currently boasts a 5 acre paddock, St Luke's Chapel, Theatre, Gymnasium, Garden of Remembrance, and an array of superb buildings awaiting a modernisation programme. Plans for the site include a number of shops, a museum, hairdressers, restaurant, Veterans bars, and appropriate sporting facilities including bowling greens along with facilities for visitors and members of the public interested in the Haslar site.

There will be a GP?s Surgery and Dental facilities readily available. A Service ethos will be inculcated within the Village and it is expected that those Veterans who are passed medically fit, and who wish to do so, will be asked to contribute to the running of the site including representational duties.

Beautiful views overlooking Spithead

The plan under consideration is to offer a number of Residential Facilities to existing Service charities since these organisations already have systems in place for providing such services to their current membership. Making the Royal Hospital 10

Haslar available in this way will ease the increasing demand placed upon the Services caring community and thus augment, rather than compete with, existing welfare groups.

So that the likely demand for the facilities envisaged can be assessed it would be of assistance if Branches could indicate the take up rate and priorities of the anticipated services which will greatly assist in setting objectives and priorities for Phase 1 of the development.

Currently, it is anticipated allocating a number of facilities to various Service welfare groups. The facilities being considered (and the numbers are only indicative).

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At an early Planning stage

The estimated number of rooms are: 350 single apartments housed within the main Hospital building (including a 50 bed infirmary); 60 two bedroom apartments within Canada Block; 15 two bedroom apartments within the old Psychiatric Block; and 60 bed EMI (Elderly Mentally Infirm) Unit.

The details requested are only to provide some guidance for planning and does not commit anyone to anything other than interest, at this stage.

For example, if there is greater demand for two bedroom apartments then these would be given priority over single accommodation and form Phase 1 of the development. It would be of great assistance if RNA Branches could review this matter and inform the General Secretary via Branch Secretaries of their views and likely support for the initiative.

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VETERANS VILLAGE WWI Soldiers DNA

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