The Christie at Macclesfield tops out

The £26m cancer centre at Macclesfield District Hospital has reached its highest point and remains on course to complete later this year. 

Designed by AFL Architects, the project was unveiled in 2018 and plans were approved by Cheshire East Council under delegated powers in September 2019. 

Contractor Galliford Try was appointed to build the facility before being replaced by Vinci Construction last year after completing demolition work, as revealed by Place North West. 

Vinci, which is one half of Integrated Health Projects, the lead contractor for The Christie’s £150m cancer research centre in Withington, has since taken the project forward and work on the structural frame has now completed. 

The Christie at Macclesfield aims to transform cancer care in Cheshire, the High Peak area of Derbyshire, and parts of North Staffordshire, by providing care closer to home for more than 1,500 patients a year. 

The centre will bring together essential cancer services under one roof, delivering local specialist access to radiotherapy, chemotherapy, holistic support and information services, outpatient care, palliative care, and a wider range of clinical trials.  

Around 40,000 appointments per year are to take place at the new centre, according to the Christie.

Louise Stimson, head of fundraising at The Christie charity, said: “The new centre will deliver cancer care to the highest Christie standards, but closer to where patients live. Many patients currently travel to The Christie in South Manchester, putting tremendous pressure on them and their families at an already stressful time.  

“As a charity, we have been hit hard by Covid-19. The loss of income directly impacts the support we can offer the hospital. We have never needed our supporters more – each and every penny raised makes a difference to patients like Lorraine and thousands of others. Cancer doesn’t stop for a pandemic.” 

The Christie charity is raising £23m towards the project.