Plans for a major new treatment and research facility at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton have been given the green light.
Permission has been approved, subject to the conditions of a Section 106 Agreement, for the development of the Oak Cancer Centre on the site of the world-renowned oncology centre of excellence.
The centre will enable the hospital to help people with cancer across London and the South East, and to discover breakthroughs in cancer research that will benefit patients throughout the UK and around the world.
The new six-storey building, designed by BDP Architects, will contain a blend of outpatient activity, including 63 medical day care chemotherapy infusion bays, which all benefit from a westerly orientation towards a richly-landscaped garden space.
One of the driving forces behind the project was to create modern, peaceful spaces with access to natural daylight, views, nature, and fresh air to ensure patients receive treatment in the best-possible environment.
The building is designed to be very legible and intuitive to move around, ensuring that anxious patients are not further stressed by feeling disorientated.
In addition to its new modern facilities, with the latest technology the centre will bring together over 400 researchers who are currently dispersed across the site, together in spaces designed to encourage collaboration and speed up the development of new treatments.
Chief executive of The Royal Marsden, Cally Palmer CBE, said: “We are delighted that Sutton Council has approved our plans for the Oak Cancer Centre.
“This state-of-the-art facility, with a focus on early diagnosis and accelerating developments in research, will allow us to be there for everyone who needs us for decades to come.”
Building work is due to begin next summer, with the centre due to open in 2022.