Leader: Hospital sale leads to mixed emotions

the news that Edinburgh's Sick Kids hospital has been put up for sale will be greeted with mixed emotions today.

The Sick Kids is due to close in 2018.

Sure we knew this day was coming as the new hospital begins to take shape at Little France. Many will not miss the never ending hunt for a parking space. The staff may not be sorry to leave a building which is woefully unfit for purpose.

But that’s not say there will not be many a tear shed as the much-loved hospital closes for the last time.

Anyone with small children in Edinburgh will be familiar with the Sick Kids and its dedicated staff. How many times have panicked parents arrived at its doors to be quickly reassured? Nothing is too much trouble and every family is made to feel important.

When the worst happens and families have to contend with a serious illness in a child, there is no better place, and no better team, to cope.

The new £150 million hospital will be state of the art offering staff the best possible working environment.

In years to come we hope it is held in the same regard as the current Sciennes Road building which has served the city since the 1860s.

Developers will now battle it out to secure what must be one of the most exciting development opportunities of recent times.

The site is sure to attract tens of millions and we hope any redevelopment is sympathetic to its surroundings and marks in someway the immense contribution which the building and the staff who have worked in it have made to the city over the years.

When the Sick Kids finally closes its doors in spring 2018, there will be sadness and joy.

The grand old building has served us well and can now enjoy a new lease of life, perhaps as luxury flats. The new hospital, fit for the 21st century, can take the strain.