Consent for Ravenscourt Hospital project

Developer TT Group has secured planning approval from the local council to repurpose the long‑vacant former Ravenscourt Park Hospital, a Grade II* listed Art Deco landmark in west London, into a residential‑led mixed‑use redevelopment.

The scheme, designed by architecture practice SPPARC, aims to restore the historic character of the site while introducing new homes and community spaces.

Commenting on the decision, Trevor Morriss, Principal at SPPARC, said the approval allows the Royal Masonic Hospital to return to meaningful use after almost 20 years of vacancy, adding that the design honours both the building’s historic and architectural significance.

Duncan Brisbane, Development Director at TT Group, called the project’s approval long overdue and expressed confidence in the team’s ability to deliver high-quality housing while preserving one of London’s key architectural assets.

The approved proposals involve the delivery of 140 new homes within the original hospital wards and treatment blocks. These will range from studio apartments to larger family units and are designed to incorporate features such as co-working lounges and private gardens.

A key component of the scheme is the construction of a 65-bed specialist care home on the footprint of a 1970s extension, which will be replaced with a new building designed to reflect the material palette and architectural rhythm of the original campus.

In addition, the former administrative entrance building will be adapted into community-hire space, with the scheme committed to preserving significant interior features and restoring the two original Greek-style statues that flank the main entrance.

The project also includes the introduction of redesigned pedestrian routes and landscaped gardens, which will open up areas of the site to public access for the first time in nearly two decades. These interventions aim to reconnect the former hospital grounds with the surrounding Ravenscourt Park area.

SPPARC, known for its conservation-led approach, has focused on protecting the distinctive features of the hospital’s inter-war architecture. The original red-brick blocks, designed by Thomas S. Tait, are notable for their geometric style, flat roofs, minimal ornamentation, and signature welded-steel semi-circular balconies. These elements earned the hospital RIBA’s Gold Medal for Building of the Year in 1933 and will be retained in the redevelopment.

Originally opened in 1933 by King George V as the Royal Masonic Hospital, the facility was considered one of Europe’s largest independent acute hospitals at the time. It ceased operations in 1994, briefly reopened under NHS management in 2002, and closed permanently in 2006. Since then, the site has remained empty and has been included on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register.

The Ravenscourt Park Hospital scheme adds to TT Group’s growing portfolio of heritage-led brownfield developments across the capital and is expected to enter the delivery phase in the coming years.