29 June 2017
The outline planning application for Jersey’s new General Hospital has been submitted by the project team.
The application is the latest step forward for the project, which will see a new building on a site that includes part of the existing Hospital, plus adjacent land in Kensington Place.
Detail regarding the lay-out of the new Hospital is part of the plans, which also give an idea of the scale of the building. The outline drawings depict an eight-storey building – around the same height as the 1980s building and the chimney on the existing site. The project team has already consulted with the Island’s Planning Department and the Jersey Architectural Commission.
The proximity needed between various departments is an integral part of what is planned. Although the footprint of the Hospital is smaller than might typically be required for such a project, these adjacencies are achieved through having entry to the building at different levels via the adjoining multi-storey car park in Patriotic Street.
The Emergency Department and Radiology Service will be on the ground floor, with outpatient facilities on the first floor and operating theatres above that. Women’s, Obstetrics and Gynaecology will be on the third floor, immediately beneath the Maternity Unit on the fourth floor, which will also have some publicly-accessible outside space. Four levels of public and private in-patient wards will be make up the top four storeys, with excellent views in all directions.
Key principles of the project are that:
- safe operation of the hospital will be maintained throughout
- the hospital will be operational within eight years and delivered in one main construction phase
- the hospital will be delivered at a comparable cost to other new-build site options previously considered
Minister for the Department for Infrastructure, Deputy Eddie Noel, said he was pleased to have reached this landmark stage.
“The new hospital will be a landmark building. It is being carefully designed to respect its surroundings while still creating a positive impact. One area of primary focus is the public using the hospital and the design incorporates pedestrian networks and enhanced public spaces, as well as amenities inside the building.”
Progress in recent months
Minister for Health and Social Services, Senator Andrew Green, highlighted the progress of the project in recent months.
“Increasingly the feedback that has come in to both myself and members of the project team is that Islanders want us to move ahead with what is a vital development for Jersey – the message has been to get on with it,” he said.
“Some people have been concerned that the project has stalled in recent months, however there’s been a massive amount of hard work taking place behind the scenes which can now be shared through the submission of the outline planning application.”
While the Planning Department has the opportunity to study the details of the application – which will be available for all Islanders to view – the project will continue through a number of further stages:
- ongoing engagement with Hospital staff, patient groups and voluntary sector organisations
- progressing the projects which will see the relocation of services and administration functions currently housed in the Gwyneth Huelin wing and Peter Crill House
- the submission of an outline business case and Report & Proposition to the States Assembly for debate in November, when the funding solution for the project will also be finalised
- the selection and appointment of contractors for the relocation works and the main project
- the submission of further detail relating to the actual design and appearance of the building
The outline planning application will be available to view - once it has been checked and registered - via the planning register, with a link from the Future Hospital website.
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