Demolition of Norton Court at Birmingham Women’s Hospital by leading building company Tilbury Douglas and local demolition and remediation partners Armac Group has successfully paved the way for hospital expansion
With the demolition of Norton Court and the Dental Hospital out the way, the Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust (BWC) is now one step closer to the hospital’s ‘Big Build’ dream.
BWC will now modernise and expand both its Women’s and Children’s Hospitals.
Norton Court through the years
In 1968 it was known as Birmingham Maternity Hospital and Norton Court provided residential accommodation for doctors and nurses.
Since then, Norton Court has been used by a number of services which have included Neonatal Parent Accommodation, Medical Engineering and Clinical Genetics.
However over time it became clear that the building was not suitable or fitting with the rest of the hospital – it became outdated, unsightly, and very expensive to maintain.
The demolition
In 2019, only 40% of the building was occupied and the remaining staff finally left it before demolition began in October 2020.
The demolition of Norton Court project put special measures in place to reduce the impact of noise, dust, and disruption on the live hospital site.
Work will be finished on the Children’s Hospital site in 2022.
‘This year marks another positive step forward in our Big Build ambition’
Sarah-Jane Marsh said:
“While Norton Court is an integral part of the Women’s Hospital’s history, it was outdated, impractical and the opposite of what women, men and families expect from a specialist hospital.
“When I became CEO in 2017, it was clear that the building was failing – not just in terms of modern health care provision but also in providing a suitable working environment for our staff.”
“No matter what the future holds, we are now fortunate to have land at both the Women’s and Children’s Hospitals available to build on.
“The demolition of Norton Court this year marks another positive step forward in our Big Build ambition to provide world-class facilities that our women, children, young people and families truly deserve and that we can be proud of as a Trust, city and region.”
Richard Myatt, contract manager for Tilbury Douglas Construction – Midlands, added:
“We have been working with Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital for several years and while we are normally building something new for them, these demolition projects mark both the end of an era and the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the Trust.”
