PLANS to develop the site of a historic women’s hospital in Euston have alarmed campaigners hoping to create a museum celebrating the work of women doctors.
The former Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital in Euston Road has been on the market for four years.
It is one of a number of properties being sold by owner University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Trust, which is currently developing a new £422-million hospital at the junction of Euston and Tottenham Court roads.
The hospital was founded, built and worked in by Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the first woman to qualify as a doctor in the UK.
Dr Anderson established the women’s hospital in 1890, having raised £21,000, the equivalent of around £2 million today, towards the cost of the building.
But clinical services at the women-only hospital were terminated three years ago by UCLH, which has since renamed its obstetric and gynaecological service after the pioneering doctor.
Since then, campaigners have fought off a number of high-profile bids for the site, including plans for a giant hostel two years ago.
The hospital has a grade II listing to reflect its special architectural and historical interest.
However, according to Estates Gazette, UCLH is now considering four new bids for the site, with a joint bid from property investment company Development Securities, Genesis Housing Association and public service union Unison leading the race.
Other interested parties include British Land, Helical Bar and Land Securities.
Camden Council has stipulated that the residential part of any bid should contain at least 50 per cent affordable housing.
Wendy Savage, an obstetrician from campaigning group EGA for Women, said it was vital to ensure that Elizabeth Garrett Anderson’s memory was honoured.
She said: “Women’s history so often gets forgotten. The location of this site close to main railway stations makes it an ideal place for schoolchildren, students and tourists to visit.
“We would like to preserve the hospital as her memorial and, while plans to use part of the site for key worker housing seem admirable, the hospital itself should not become expensive flats.
“We would like to see it used as a museum to celebrate the entry of women into medicine with perhaps some clinical work on a charitable basis – or used as offices for women’s organisations.”
A spokeswoman for the hospital trust said: “We are currently considering a number of bids but are not yet in a position to know when a decision will be made.”