Planning permission has been granted for the early designs and floor plans of Cambridge Children’s Hospital in the East of England
The Cambridge City Council Planning Committee have approved the early external hospital designs and all members ‘resolved to award consent’ for the plans. This planning application builds upon existing planning permissions.
The state-of-the-art Cambridge Children’s Hospital will pioneer genomic and psychological research
The Cambridge Children’s Hospital will be built on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and will provide essential hospital care for children and young people from across the whole region – Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The new hospital will not be limited to the area, however, and provide care where it can nationally and internationally – a ‘hospital without walls’.
The brand new state-of-the-art hospital will pioneer genomic and psychological research alongside clinical expertise in physical and mental child health – the aim is to not lose track of the individual child during hospital treatments.
The hospital has an estimated total footprint of around 35,000sq m, including 5000sq m of research space. Early designs give an idea of how the hospital may look once complete.
Presently, work continues on developing the Outline Business Case, which has to be approved by NHSE/I and the Department of Health, and on the fundraising campaign which was announced earlier in 2021.
Who are the team behind the planning and designs?
An international design team, comprised of experts from Turner & Townsend, Hawkins\Brown, White Arkitekter, Ramboll and MJ Medical, and planning consultants from Bidwells, are behind the planning for Cambridge Children’s Hospital.
Staff across partner organisations and members of Cambridge Children’s Network have also been instrumental in helping shape designs for the hospital.
Andrew Tollick, senior programme manager for design and construction, Cambridge Children’s Hospital, said:
“I’m delighted that we have taken another big step towards making Cambridge Children’s Hospital a reality. There is still a long way to go before building work can begin but planning approval for the early external designs is a rock-solid foundation. We are determined to realise our vision for ‘a whole new way’: one that integrates children’s mental and physical health services alongside world-class research to provide holistic, personalised care in a state-of-the-art facility.”
‘It’s really important that children and young people are involved in designing the hospital because we’ve been in hospital at a young age’
Tristan, age 11, said:
“I did a design programme with a group of people who help design the hospital. It was fun and we got to join in a lot. In the end they showed us what the outside of the hospital will look like. It was really cool and I liked it a lot. When I saw the drawings there were bits of greenery inside the hospital, right in the centre, and I knew I had something to do with that. It made me feel proud. It’s really important that children and young people are involved in designing the hospital because we’ve been in hospital at a young age and we’ve had experience. We can say we didn’t like this, so we should change it.”
Director at Turner & Townsend and design team project director Clinton Green added:
“The new hospital is a trailblazer in how integrated children’s mental and physical care is delivered. Its landmark design for a state-of-the-art healthcare facility, with its focus on sustainability and wellbeing, will set a new standard of paediatric care as an example for other hospitals across the UK and beyond to follow. The speed of reaching the major milestone of planning permission approval is testament to the expertise and collaborative efforts of the entire design team, working side by side with the Cambridge Children’s Hospital team on this important journey.”
Environmental concerns are at the heart of hospital project
The environment has been a major consideration in the development of these plans. Cambridge Children’s Hospital aims to be as sustainable as possible to ensure a safe future for all.
Outdoor spaces such as gardens, courtyards and terraces will support biodiversity and provide patients access to natural spaces so that they can wind down. The main hospital building will itself be enclosed within a wide landscaped green perimeter that recreates the feel of a summer meadow.
