Clatterbridge plans due by Christmas

The designs for a new £120m specialist cancer hospital linked to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital will go out to public consultation this month, ahead of a full planning application to be submitted later this year.

The 11-storey hospital will be built on West Derby Street in Liverpool city centre, on the same site as the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and the University of Liverpool.

The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre serves the 2.3m population of Merseyside and Cheshire, providing highly-advanced treatment and research.

Its expansion into central Liverpool, in addition to its existing sites in Wirral and Aintree, will enable it to further improve treatment for the most complex and seriously ill patients, and to carry out early-phase trials of new treatments.

The new hospital will provide specialist non-surgical cancer care including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, imaging, outpatients, support services and inpatient beds. It will have a dedicated Teenage & Young Adult unit. The existing teenage and young adult unit in the Wirral cancer centre just has inpatient beds.

Proposals for the cancer centre were approved following extensive public consultation in 2014. The scheme is part of the centre’s £155m investment in Transforming Cancer Care, which includes redeveloping and refurbishing its Wirral site.

The project is largely being funded by NHS and government sources, with some money also planned to come from a public fundraising appeal.

The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust is holding three exhibitions in Liverpool, Wirral and Aintree to show people the designs and hear their views.

Representatives from the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, its construction partner Laing O’Rourke and architect BDP, will be on hand to discuss the design and other aspects related to the application for planning permission.

The mobile exhibition will be at:

• 19 October, 12pm-7pm – Paradise Street, Liverpool (near Liverpool One)
• 30 October, 12pm-7pm – Aintree Shopping Park, L9 5AN
• 2 November, 11am-6pm – Asda Bromborough, Wirral, CH62 3QP

People will also be able to see information and give their views at www.transformingcancercaremc.nhs.uk from 19 October to 13 November and at events in the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre’s site in Wirral and the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre radiotherapy unit on the Aintree hospital site.

Andrew Cannell, chief executive of Transforming Cancer Care, said: “We are delighted that we will be applying for full planning permission by the end of this year for this major new cancer hospital, which will transform cancer care for people in Merseyside and Cheshire for generations to come.

“The exhibitions and information on the website are a fantastic opportunity for people to see the designs and comment on any aspects related to the planning application.”