Royal Haslar, Gosport

RPS was commissioned to support the planning proposals for the mixed-use redevelopment of the former Royal Haslar Hospital, Gosport, England. Rich in history and once the Royal Navy’s key hospital on the south coast, this significant historic site occupies the foreshore close to Portsmouth Harbour in Gosport and benefits from unrivalled views out to the Solent.

Designed by Theodore Jacobsen in the 18th Century, the classical Georgian hospital building complex fist opened its doors in 1753 and after 254 years of military medical care, closed in 2007. The site was subsequently abandoned in 2009 and sold for redevelopment with many of the buildings falling in disrepair.

Key details

Project name
Royal Haslar, Gosport

Client
Our Haslar Enterprise Ltd

Location
Gosport, England

Services provided

  • Landscape architecture
  • Landscape masterplanning
  • Landscape strategy
  • Landscape design
  • Landscape and visual impact assessment
  • Arboriculture
  • Ecology
  • Noise & air quality
  • Transport planning
  • Retail assessment
  • Contamination

Challenge

Set within 62 acres overlooking the south coast, the historic site includes Grade 2 Historic Parks and Gardens, Listed Buildings and burial grounds, all of which required expert consideration to ensure that any proposals were sensitive to, and reflective of, the site’s constraints and historical significance.

Arboreal and ecological considerations added a further layer of complexity and presented a unique set of challenges to realise the client’s vision for the site.

Royal Haslar Gosport - project image.jpg

Solution

Working collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary project team, we developed the landscape masterplan and detailed proposals that were sympathetic to the historic layout and former use of the site whilst accommodating future planned land uses. Key to this was successfully integrating new built form within the historic fabric whilst respecting the historic setting and vistas.

Underpinned by extensive research, historic avenues, open space, gardens, vistas and building lines were respected and reinstated to provide a sensitive, cohesive masterplan.

Extensive discussions with English Heritage, the local authority and Garden History Society and public consultation events ensured that concerns were addressed, and that any development was sensitive to the site’s rich history.

Project statistics

15
listed residential properties.
271
new build residential properties.
60
bed care home.
244
retirement homes.
4645m2
business space.

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