BREAKING NEWS: St Wilfrid’s Hospice clears final hurdle to Bosham move

The hospice received the news yesterday evening (November 30), with a spokeswoman describing it as the news they had been waiting for.

Chairwoman of the trustees Angela Wormald was thrilled at the news.

“We are delighted that the secretary of state has decided not to call in this application and that he has allowed it to be determined by the local planning authority,” she said.

“It feels as though it has taken a long time to get to this point, but there is no doubt that it has been worth the wait and we are particularly grateful to Genesis Town Planning for their advice and guidance throughout the whole planning process.

“This is just the start of the project and we have a long way to go in raising at least £15.5m to build our new hospice.

“However, from the swell of support we received throughout the planning process, I have no doubt we will achieve this.”

The hospice will be built on a former nursery site, off Walton Lane, in Bosham.

The plan was initially recommended for refusal by Chichester District Council planners but the decision was overturned at a planning committee meeting.

The cost of the new hospice was initially projected as £12m by the hospice but this has now risen by £3.5m.

More than half of St Wilfrid’s fundraising target has been pledged by the board of trustees, from hospice reserves which were steadily built up specifically for this purpose.

Chief executive at the hospice Alison Moorey added: “Alongside the capital fundraising campaign for the new hospice, we still need to raise almost £6.7m each year to ensure we are able to continue delivering our specialist tailored care across our whole community to people suffering from life-limiting illnesses and support for their loved ones.”

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