Old Royal Liverpool Hospital to become health sciences campus
The University of Liverpool plans to redevelop the site into a medical school to train up the next generation of health professionals.
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Liverpool have signed a memorandum of understanding to advance plans for an Academic Health Sciences Campus on the site of the former Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
Work to demolish the 1970s hospital is ongoing following the completion of a £700m new-build facility on a neighbouring site. The process of knocking down the 640-bed hospital is expected to complete in 2026.
This will free up the land for the health campus and further expand Liverpool’s growing Knowledge Quarter, which is the fulcrum of the recently announced Liverpool City Region life sciences investment zone.
Professor Louise Kenny, executive pro-vice-chancellor for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at the University of Liverpool said the new Liverpool Academic Health Sciences Campus would help tackle some of the region’s “profound” health inequalities.
“We remain absolutely committed to playing our part in addressing these. Increasing our capacity to train healthcare professionals and retain them here after training, something that the university has a strong record in doing, is a key part of our work in this area.”
The facility would house the university’s medical, dental, nursing, and allied health professional students.
It would also feature flexible teaching spaces, clinical teaching facilities, and simulation facilities, such as mock wards and patient homes, supported by training in robotics, artificial intelligence, and data.
James Sumner, chief executive of Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The agreement between LUHFT and the University of Liverpool is an incredibly exciting opportunity for the city of Liverpool.
“A new clinical skills and health education facility would significantly improve and modernise the quality of health education for the next generation of health care workers across multiple professions, including medicine, dentistry, nursing and the allied health professions.”
As well as providing a boost to the city region’s health prospects, the scheme also represents an opportunity to reuse a city centre site.
“[The project] would also be an important investment in the redevelopment of a key city centre location, sitting alongside two of the newest hospitals in the country and in the heart of the Knowledge Quarter, all of which serve to benefit the people of Liverpool and beyond.”
Learn more about developments within the health and life sciences sector at Place North West’s Labs of the Future: Life Sciences Property Update on 23 November.
Great news, this will truly enhance Liverpool’s reputation as a leader in medical and life sciences.
By Liverpolitis
The 1970s hospital stands as a perfect example of how bad architecture can blight an entire neighbourhood for decades.
By Matthew Jones
Having mix of facilities is essential, a couple of 20-30 story apartment building – retail/leisure outlets – lab space, 20 -30 story office space will be essential to have vibrant area
By Stuart wood
Sounds like a major investment which will have positive impacts and could also lead to more residential development in the vicinity plus more shopping and leisure.
One of the aims stated is to reduce health inequalities in the region, which is good but for me one of the best ways is to get people working in good jobs with good incomes.
By Anonymous
Fantastic..
By John Lynn
When it comes to medical and life sciences Liverpool is right at the top. Long may it continue.
By Nicholas
@Stuart Wood, Liverpool’s most vibrant areas are NOT where there are towers, Manchester’s most vibrant areas are NOT where there are towers, towers have no place destroying Liverpool like they have other cities.
By DH
The area around the hospital and London road is starting to change for the better. This will enhance the area further.
By Mr Palmer
Life sciences seems to be a real thing at the moment. Manchester seems to be really going for this as well. One day I’ll find out what it all actually means in reality.
By Anonymous
‘DH’ is, I believe, correct here.
What Liverpool should aim for are mansion blocks, townhouses and terraces. Walk around the Cathedral Quarter and Hope Street and you’ll see lots of gentle density terraces, housing lots of people in comfort. These areas are popular and active on ground level too.
By Rye&Eggs
@Rye&Eggs. Times have moved on stop looking backwards. The city centre needs high density population to support itself. Building town houses would only bring low density as was done in the 80s with estates in the city centre that look well out of place now.
By Anonymous
Expansion of the life sciences sector again in Liverpool with this and PV developments, this bound to be covered in the forthcoming “Place North West’s Labs of the Future: Life Sciences Property” I imagine?
By Liverpool4Progress
@October 23, 2023 at 11:45 am
By Anonymous
Disagree.
I think what is looking backwards are high density towers which meet the ground poorly. A form of urbanism which guzzles up energy and very many people don’t choose if they have the choice.
Townhouses are not the same as mass housebuilder sprawl. They’re often three or four stories high and in rows.
As I mentioned in my earlier posting, the Cathedral Quarter area is thriving. The facts speak for themselves.
By Rye&Eggs
@DH, Liverpool has one 40 storey tower, so how has that destroyed the city. Go and have a walk round dumps like Leeds St and undeveloped areas of the Baltic and look at the destruction there, none of it caused by high-rise. Furthermore look at photos of all those wonderful tenements that were pulled down because people wrecked them, look at the Bull-ring now all intact and people living in it , Liverpool post-war has been destroyed by inept councillors not developers.
By Anonymous
Hopefully good news for the Fabric District and Knowledge Quarter and really get the whole area up the agenda with Liverpool City Council.
London Road and the Fabric District needs help NOW! Hundreds of thousands of people get off the train and walk up the road to get to University, Hospital, School of Tropical Medicine.
But they don’t stop they walk through. This should be a great place with places to eat, people going O2 or Theatre pop for a drink. Come LCC create that link through to the Museums and St George’s. It can be great! Especially with all these high end jobs and bright young things!
By Mary Smiley
I like taller buildings. They have really added to the city scape and the skyline would look flat amd boring without them.
By Anonymous
Rye&Eggs. That would be a really poor use of prime brownfield sites especially ones such as this where the old royal is. Even worse for the areas around pall mall and northwards. Liverpool isn’t dainty Bristol or Edinburgh its a large post industrial city for the most part and needs to build suitable scale like it’s peers in Manc, Brum, Leeds and even Glasgow now!
By Anonymous
I remember it being promised that this land would be converted into green space. It seems the promises of Liverpool City Council are made for expedience sake and are only meant to last until it is expedient to ignore them.
By SWH
@October 23, 2023 at 2:38 pm
By Anonymous
Interesting you’ve mentioned Edinburgh and Bristol – terraced townhouses galore.
Paris has a far higher density but fewer towers.
There’s a case for a few well-designed – and beautiful – towers in designated areas of Liverpool (virtually all the towers built in Liverpool recently are mediocre). But there’s better ways to house people.
By Rye&Eggs
@swh, the green space promised would still occur as part of the public realm but along side that plan this health science campus was always promised. This is only confirming that the health board and university still want to proceed with the original plan. Hopefully this way the students can get more practical experience before their placement in one of the most busy hospitals ine north of England and Wales since a lot of patients from Wrexham and glan Clywd is sent to the royal.
By Bless
Liverpool is getting back on the road thankfully
By Anonymous
Jobs and development are what this area needs !
By Anonymous
Liverpool is one of the world leaders in the medical world so this is a must for the city to expand on that.
By Anonymous
SWH, Everton Park is right next door and completely deserted due to depopulation of the area. Liverpool needs more PEOPLE, not grass and trees.
By Liverpool Lou
@Liverpool Lou. absolutely! A dense city centre population is vital for its economy. More people = more cafes more shops more services! Yet people hate anything being built.
By Anonymous
Hardly any parking facilities in the area. Large multi storey car park is needed, especially for people going to the new hospital.
By Anonymous
I wonder how many of those ‘profound health inequalities’ are a function of the personal choices people make?
By Anonymous