THE fate of a derelict accommodation block in the grounds of York Hospital was revealed at a meeting with local residents.

York Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust revealed last night that the site is expected to become a new outpatient block as part of a planned shakeup of building use at the Wigginton Road site over the next five to 15 years.

Brian Golding, associate director of estates and facilities for York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said the Trust had looked at different ways at developing the site, which he described as “unsightly” and prone to vandalism.

He said provisional plans envisioned the Bootham Park Court site to be used for ‘nine to five’ outpatients and well as other hospital services such as physiotherapy. Demolition work will start on Monday and is expected to take 15 weeks.

A spokesman for Demolition Services Limited, addressing residents concerns at the meeting said “noisy demolition services” will be undertaken during normal working hours – between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday and 9am until 1pm on Saturdays – to keep disruption to a minimum.

The question of what to do with the Bootham Court building has been the subject of speculation since it was closed in September 2009. At the time the hospital said only 110 of the 200 flats were in use.

Bob Towner, then a hospital governor and former director of housing at City of York Council led discussions with the hospital to return the accommodation to a habitable condition with a view to creating affordable housing, but the estimated £5 million cost saw the idea fail to get off the ground.

Mr Golding said: “We would have to spend £5million to bring it up to standard and that would be £5million we would not be spending on the hospital.

“We don’t need residents accommodation anymore, all resident needs are met by the university.”

In May this year the hospital trust announced it had obtained planning permission to have the building demolished and was looking for a contractor.