11th April 2017
Velindre NHS Trust to Build New Cancer Centre in Cardiff
This week it has been announced that Velindre NHS Trust will be applying to build a new cancer centre in Cardiff, utilising land north of Whitchurch Hospital playing fields. Expanding on the great services the trust already offers Welsh patients, the new centre, if passed, will include a specialist cancer treatment centre, facilities for learning, research and development, temporary construction accesses, parking, an energy centre, landscape works as well as pedestrian paths.
Estimated to be up and running in around five years, the centre hopes to provide close to 1,000 job opportunities, creating a supportive hub for patients to plan treatment, book consultations and access multi-faith facilities. The site will also be built with its own café, shops as well as a restaurant.
A planning statement, prepared to support an outline planning application for the new centre, focused on the need for modern equipment and practice, feeling the current site to no longer suffice.
“The need for the development is set by the Welsh Government health strategy Transforming Cancer Services in South East Wales, of which the new Specialist Cancer Centre and education institute are central to addressing the predicted future increase in incidences of cancer.
“The existing facility cannot achieve the key requirements for future provision and hence it is necessary to replace it on an alternative site, which is constructed whilst the existing facility remains operational.
“The scale of the proposed development is necessary to accommodate future predicted demand, in terms of patients, to increase potential operational efficiency, and also to allow flexibility to take into account future technological advances.
“The planning application for the development is in outline form only with all matters of detail reserved for future determination.
” It is considered then that, whilst it will clearly have inevitable environmental impacts, these will be reduced to acceptable levels through mitigation and enhancement.
“Overall it is considered, having regard to the level of compliance of the scheme with planning policy, the EIA evaluation of the impacts / mitigation, the benefits of the location, and the overwhelming wider health need for the project, that on balance outline planning permission should be granted.”
While expected to offer unparalleled support to patients from all over Wales, there have been some early objections with regards to traffic and parking. Eager to make this development run as smoothly as possible, interested parties will be invited to exhibitions held at Whitchurch Library from the 18th April to the 29th April. Here, concerned residents can put their questions and concerns to a panel of representatives.
View Velindre’s profile here.