Plans for a new in-patient building at a psychiatric hospital in Camberwell would provide 35 new beds and bring in 25 new staff members.  

Maudsley Hospital is seeking to knock down a four-storey building, called Douglas Bennett House, and replace it with a five-storey block which would include eight new wards – two specialist, and six for adult mental health patients.  

The current building, by Denmark Hill station, was built in the 1970s and used to provide 48 beds for in-patients, 100 day places and teaching and research space. 

However, it has not been used for some time “as it no longer meets the standards required for a modern mental healthcare building and cannot provide a high-quality therapeutic environment”. 

The building would bring in extra bed spaces and staff.  

According to the planning document: “It is estimated that the addition of 35 beds will result in one medical professional being employed for every two patients and two support staff would be employed per additional ward.  

“This would equate to 17.5 nurses and 8 support staff for the proposed development (25.5 in total).” 

The Camberwell Society  has objected that the scale of the proposed building is “unacceptable”. 

They wrote: “The building is unacceptable in terms of scale and design, the five storey building and plant on the roof is out of scale with the Victorian terrace.  

“The Windsor Walk elevation is not sympathetic to the existing buildings adjacent.” 

The height of the proposed block would be an increase of more than three metres to 17.8 with an added 2.5 metres where a plant would be on top of the building.  

Staff from the Fetal Medicine Clinic, which is next to Douglas Bennett, have also complained about the closeness of the proposed new build and the lack of privacy and daylight which would result from its construction.   

Councillors will decide on the proposals on Tuesday, November 19.