The NHS has refused to say how much Braintree’s William Julien Courtauld Hospital was sold for.

The trust has confirmed that the site, which has planning permission for 29 new homes, has been sold to developer Croudace Homes.

The London Road site, which campaigners had tried to save, was on the market for offers in excess of £1.5million but the trust declined to reveal the final sale price.

A spokesman for Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust said: “The value is commercially sensitive and therefore we cannot disclose."