Home   Bury St Edmunds   News   Article

Subscribe Now

West Suffolk Hospital reveals location for multi-million pound new site




West Suffolk Hospital has revealed the preferred location of its multi-million pound new site in Bury St Edmunds.

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust has selected the nearby Hardwick Manor and its surrounding grounds for the new healthcare facility.

The trust recently revealed it had purchased the 70 acre site as it weighed up four potential locations.

An aerial shot of West Suffolk Hospital and Hardwick Manor. Picture: Will Finch/West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
An aerial shot of West Suffolk Hospital and Hardwick Manor. Picture: Will Finch/West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

The existing hospital, in Hardwick Lane, was built in 1974 and has long exceeded its intended 30-year life span.

Dr Steve Dunn, chief executive of West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said one of the benefits of Hardwick Manor would be the possibility of keeping recent additions to the existing site.

It would also allow the trust to maintain ‘close relationships’ with co-located services such as St Nicholas Hospice Care and mental health provider Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.

West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds
West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds

Dr Dunn said new builds such as this would cost upwards of £500 million but the ‘precise costs are being worked on and set out as part of the detailed planning application process’.

An expected completion date for the build would be between 2025 and 2030.

“This gives us an opportunity to really develop a 21st century facility that local people and our staff will be hugely proud of,” Dr Dunn said.

“I’m over the moon we’re moving forward but equally we want to make sure people’s voices are heard as part of the next steps.

"We want to give everyone the opportunity to get involved and have their say.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock, West Suffolk MP, said: "I'm absolutely thrilled that Hardwick Manor has been chosen as the site for the new hospital for West Suffolk.

"Given the site is right next door to the current hospital this is a great step forward.

"I am also pleased that such extensive consultation with various groups took place to reach this decision.

"Delivering this new hospital - as one of the 40 we have committed to deliver over this decade - will be so important for ensuring the NHS is always there for all of us across West Suffolk long into the future."

Jo Churchill, Bury St Edmunds MP, said: "There has never been a more important time to invest in healthcare infrastructure and I am pleased that from the options put forward, the Hardwick Manor site has been selected for our brand new hospital.

"This exciting development in Bury St Edmunds, funded by the government's new hospital building programme, will ensure that residents from Bury and the surrounding towns and villages, have easy access to 21st century medical facilities on their doorstep.

"I am looking forward to the next phase of the project, where stakeholders and residents can put forward their views to ensure we have a hospital fit for everyone’s needs."

A Microsoft Teams meeting to discuss the announcement is planned for Wednesday, December 16 from 6pm to 7.30pm and can be accessed via www.wsh.nhs.uk/live-event

For more about the project and how to get involved, visit www.wsh.nhs.uk/new-healthcare-facility and for regular updates register your email address at futuresystemprogramme@wsh.nhs.uk

For those who do not have internet access, the trust welcomes feedback via the post at the following address: Future System Programme, 2nd Floor Quince House, West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, Hardwick Lane, Bury St Edmunds IP33 2QZ.

To keep up-to-date with all the latest developments with your local hospitals and other health stories, click here

Read more: All the latest news from Bury St Edmunds

Read more: All the latest news from Suffolk



Comments | 0