ST LUKE’S hospital will be demolished this summer – but the future of the site is still unknown after hospital chiefs revealed it is not for sale.

Plans to knock down the former mental health unit first emerged earlier this year.

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The application has now been given the go-ahead by Kirklees Council.

A spokeswoman for Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust said the site was owned by the Pennine Property Partnership, a joint venture between developer Henry Boot and the Trust.

The Pennine Property Partnership is currently constructing a £9m 56,000 sq ft out-patient facility at Acre Mill, Lindley.

But the spokeswoman said there were no specific proposals for the large Crosland Moor site as of yet.

The abandoned Blackmoorfoot Road premises have been plagued by scrap metal thieves, who have raided it for lead from the roof and metal parts, such as radiators and piping, since its closure in January 2011.

Hospital bosses have now confirmed they will completely flatten all structures at the site within the next few months.

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Director of estates and planning, Lesley Hill, said: “We are pleased that Kirklees Council have given the go-ahead for the demolition of St Luke’s.

“We are looking to have a presence on the site to commence this process within the next eight to 10 weeks.”

News of the demolition may please local residents, who have repeatedly called for increased security at the empty hospital.

A number of police incidents have been sparked by scrap metal raids with the police helicopter being called out on several occasions.

Numerous fires have also been caused by vandals and thieves using blow torches to strip cabling.

But the proposal was described as “heavy handed” by Chris Marsden, chairman of Huddersfield Civic Society, who said it was a shame the Victorian parts of the site could not be saved for re-development.

While the main hospital building, known in recent years as St Luke’s House, was originally founded as a workhouse in 1872, none of the Victorian buildings are listed.

Previous attempts to list it with 1995 and 2009 both failed.

English Heritage said the building was “old fashioned” for its time and not of significant architectural or historical significance to justify listing.