Plans for a new £10 million state-of-the-art hospice in Kent have been abandoned following years of delays and uncertainty.

The Pilgrims Hospice in Canterbury says it will instead forge ahead with the modernisation of its existing and long-serving site in the city where end-of-life care has been delivered for more than four decades.

It will be funded with the help of a £4 million grant from another charity foundation - which is the biggest single donation in the Pilgrims’ history.

Chief executive Helen Bennett says “significant circumstances outside the charity’s control” have prevented work starting on the new site at the Saxon Fields housing development in Thanington.

That is despite the relocation first being proposed 10 years ago and planning permission being granted in 2020.

The setbacks include the coronavirus outbreak, spiralling construction costs and enabling works on the site not proceeding due to the Stodmarsh water nitrate neutrality issue.

“Modernising London Road will allow Pilgrims Hospices’ remarkable legacy to continue on the very site that our founder, Ann Robertson established over 40 years ago,” she said.

“It will ensure our long-term future, providing quality hospice care in the heart of Canterbury which is one of our core principles.”

The charity had previously said the London Road site had become dated and “not as fit for purpose as we would like”.

The planned new 16-bed facility at Thanington was a joint venture with developer Pentland Homes and the Tory Family Foundation, which has no political affiliation.

The land earmarked for the new hospice remains in the ownership of Pentland Homes.

But despite working extensively with key partners, including Canterbury City Council (CCC), to try and find solutions to unlock the issues, the uncertainty remained.

So the board of trustees and executive management team took the decision to concentrate instead on retaining and modernising the existing hospice site in the heart of Canterbury.

Now the Tory Family Foundation - a worthy cause which provides financial assistance to a wide range of charitable needs - is directing its £4 million donation to that project.

It will include updating facilities in nursing care as well as the administration and office accommodation.

But the trustees say a significant amount of further money will still need to be raised to fully fund the work, for which the total cost will not be calculated until the designs and specifications are finalised.

Hospice managers say the project is at the earliest stage with work not expected to start for two years.

During that time, specialist architects with a proven track record in hospice design will draw up detailed plans, after which a planning application will be submitted to the city council.

“We will involve staff and volunteers in helping to design the modernised premises over the next few months and hope to present our proposals to our valued staff, volunteers, supporters and to the wider public later in the year,” said Pilgrims Hospice’s chair of trustees, Karen Warden.

It will take at least two years for the charity to obtain planning permission, undertake detailed design work and appoint a construction partner.

They say that inpatient services will inevitably be affected during the construction period but plans are being made to ensure the impact on patients is minimised.

“It is important to remember that the vast majority of how we support patients takes place in the community and this will continue without any disruption. “ says chief executive Helen Bennett.

“We will support patients and families for the duration of the modernisation project and will provide full updates throughout the project.”

At any given time, the Pilgrims Hospice in Canterbury is supporting up to 300 patients from the area needing end-of-life care.

But there is no intention to increase the number of beds, currently 12, as so much care takes place in the community and in patients’ homes.

However, the charity intends to make more use of its neighbouring training and meeting Ann Robertson Centre in London Road for patient support during the modernisation work.

James Tory, who is a trustee of The Tory Family Foundation said: “Pilgrims Hospices have always been special in our hearts and we are thrilled to support them in this way.

“We all know the pressures that hospices are facing currently and are delighted to support one of the corner stones of the community in Canterbury.

“We will be very excited to see the progress made on their London Road site and look forward to visiting the modernised premises.”

Pentland Homes has been contacted for a comment for what it now intends to do with the site