London City Council has announced the sale of the remaining Old Victoria Hospital Lands (OVHL) to create more affordable housing.
The city approved the phase II plan to sell to Vision SoHo Alliance late Tuesday evening with its proposal to create over 600 units of housing, half of which will include units for low-income families.
"This is an important step in the redevelopment of the Old Victoria Hospital Lands and a significant milestone in building more affordable housing for Londoners," said Mayor Ed Holder.
The redevelopment of the properties on 124 Colborne Street, as well as the lands bounded by Waterloo Street, South Street, Colborne Street and Hill Street along with the Health Services Building and the War Memorial Children’s Hospital will address planning and financial objectives of the city while implementing the vision set out in the secondary plan.
Excluding lands are being reserved for the future construction of a public square and retained by the city. It will be located at the corner of South Street and Colborne Street.
"Through the implementation of this plan, we will have the opportunity to see two London heritage buildings, the Health Services Building and the War Memorial Children’s Hospital, protected and repurposed for a new generation of Londoners," explained Bill Warner, Manager of Realty Services with the city.
Warner added the plan will also support the rapid transit network as well as improved connectivity to the Thames Valley corridor.
Vision SoHo Alliance consists of five regional organizations with a combined portfolio of over 2200 units including apartments and townhouses. Its design concept for OVHL includes a range of low to mid-rise buildings that integrate into the local surroundings that delivers an outdoor amenity space and underground parking.
Combined with the 600 units, the blueprints include more than 2600 square meters of outdoor amenity space, 500 square meters of commercial space, and a planned civic space located at the corner of Colborne Street and South Street.
The London Community Foundation will team up with the alliance by providing leadership and facilitation within an advisory role.
Council’s approval follows a sale procurement process for disposition of the lands which started in August 2020. The remaining wing of the former hospital closed in 2013.