A planning application has been submitted which will see NHS Property Services lead the development of a new purpose-built community hospital in Consett, near Durham.
The proposed development in Derwent View will replace the current Shotley Bridge Hospital, which would require significant investment to maintain the outdated estate.
The new community hospital is proposed to be located just 1.8 miles from the current Shotley Bridge site and is an opportunity to transform services around the needs of the local population.
Plans include an inpatient rehabilitation ward, urgent treatment centre, expanded chemotherapy suite, and diagnostic provision.
Hanna Hardy, acquisition lead at NHS Property Services, is advising on the project and said: “This is an exciting milestone for this project to submit the Reserved Matters Application and builds on many years of work by local partners.
“We look forward to continuing to work with County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust as well as our contractors, technical and planning advisors, and architects as we move into the formal approvals process with the New Hospitals Programme and the next stage of design.”
Programme manager at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, Jane Curry, added: “This an exciting development for the local population in Derwentside and the wider County Durham healthcare community.
“It is part of the Government pledge to build or significantly expand 48 new hospitals, with Shotley Bridge identified as a Cohort 2 development.
“We look forward to continuing discussions with our NHS colleagues and the local communities and progressing the scheme over the next few years.”
The trust will also be supported by planning consultants, DPP, who will be working closely with the local planning authority and contractor, Tilbury Douglas.
Simon Woods, construction manager for Tilbury Douglas Construction, said: “The submission of the formal planning application is a major milestone for the project.
“Our team and design partners have worked with the trust and planners to provide a scheme that will benefit the local community for many years to come.
“Construction of the new hospital will benefit the local area, both during the construction period through new employment and local investment and throughout the life of the building.”
The hospital is being designed by Medical Architecture. Director, Lianne Knotts, said: “From very-early design stages, the importance of this new hospital was clear, and we set out to design a place that inspires a sense of local pride.
“The building is welcoming to all and will create an environment for care that promotes wellbeing and recovery.
“While enabling the highest current standards of healthcare, it has the flexibility to adapt to the future health needs of the community.”
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