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Whipps Cross Hospital Development

Regeneration at Whipps Cross Hospital Development

Last updated: 16 October 2024

Next review: 16 October 2025

Background

The Whipps Cross Redevelopment is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform the hospital and the wider site to serve communities for generations to come. Barts Health NHS Trust’s overarching vision is to build a brand-new hospital to serve local communities for generations, improving health outcomes and reducing inequalities.

The new hospital will deliver the same core services as today but through new models of care provided in a state-of-the-art ‘smart’ hospital as part of the Government’s flagship new hospital building programme - vastly improving the experience for patients and staff. There will be a third more clinical space than today there will be a doubling of CT and MRI scanners; 70% of rooms will be single in the new hospital compared to 17% today; and 10,000 more day case surgeries with a near 50% increase of day case spaces available in the new hospital. The new hospital will lead the way as a local hospital of the future delivering enhanced NHS Healthcare closer to the community for better patient care attracting and retaining key healthcare staff. The hospital is designed to connect with nature and landscape to support the healing process with exemplar care of local residents. The hospital is to support the community to start well, live well, stay well and age well. The flexible hospital design will be able to adapt to future healthcare demands.

The wider Whipps Cross site will be transformed providing up to 1,500 new homes (including 50% affordable homes), a community health building, new green and public spaces, better transport and access, and community facilities such as retail and leisure.

The hospital and the wider site will be greener, with a hospital able to deliver net zero carbon emissions and a site that encourages more cycling, walking and public transport.

Where are we now?

Barts NHS Trust submitted two planning applications to the Local Planning Authority on the 7th May 2021. They comprised of:

  • One hybrid planning application for the hospital development (outline planning permission) and the first multi-storey car park (full planning permission)
  • One hybrid planning application for the residential development (outline planning permission) and change of use for the retained ‘heritage’ buildings

Statutory consultation (including adjoining local authorities) concluded in June 2021. A statutory re-consultation period was carried out, following new technical information, and this concluded in October 2021.

The Planning Committee Meeting made a resolution for approval for both planning applications at the committee meeting on Wednesday 24th November 2021.

Further details of the planning applications can be found here under references 211244 (hospital and car park schemes) and 211245 (residential scheme).

 

Updates on demolition works

The demolition activities commenced on Monday 12 April 2021.

Demolition site hours will be between 8:00am and 6:00pm Monday to Friday and on Saturdays between 8:00am and 1:00pm where activities cannot be completed in the normal working hours of Monday to Friday. In exception circumstances, residents will be consulted if works need to take place outside of these hours.

The demolition works will be carried out in the phases below:

whipps cross demolition phases

Demolition works are anticipated to complete by the end of 2021.

What happens next?

Following the planning committee meeting, the planning applications go to the Mayor of London for a decision.

If planning consent is given by the Mayor, the hospital and residential schemes must submit Reserved Matters applications to provide detailed designs to the Local Planning Authority, ahead of any construction works. Consultation with residents will happen before any application is submitted.

The Car Park planning application will need to discharge any pre-commencement planning conditions before starting construction works in Spring 2022.

Consultation and Engagement

  • There has been extensive communication and engagement with our communities throughout the development of the Trust’s plans.
  • Despite the challenges of COVID the Trust held over 100 meetings to discuss plans with members of the public, community groups, councillors and MPs, including:
    • Nine virtual public meetings with around 375 people attending and four virtual staff meetings attended by 183 people
    • 23 focus groups with patients and the public to discuss thematic issues from areas of hospital design to transport and access
    • Several meetings with the residents who live closest to the Whipps Cross site
    • An online survey with well over 1,000 responses.
  • The Trust will continue to engage and listen to views as we develop our detailed plans further.
  • To assist with this a Whipps Cross Community Forum has been recently established to strengthen engagement and participation in the redevelopment and the wider work of the hospital.
  • To create a stronger ‘green’ connection between the hospital and the forest, the latest designs also include a new landscaped route and a new park. Improved car parking for patients, staff and visitors, as well as better access routes with more emphasis on walking and cycling are also being proposed.
  • Give Barts Health your view on the future of Whipps
  • Download the Phase 2 Brochure (PDF)

For the Reserved Matters applications on the hospital and residential schemes, consultation on the detailed designs will take place with local residents before any application is submitted.

 

Programme Timeline

  • November 2021 - planning committee
  • Winter 2021 – Mayor decision anticipated
  • December 2021/January 2022 – demolition of old nurses block completed
  • Spring 2022 - car park construction starts
  • Spring 2023 - hospital construction starts
  • Autumn 2026 - new hospital completed
  • 2027 - release of surplus land for development
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NHS Trust - Future of Whipps for more about Whipps Cross Hospital Redevelopment