'Excessive demand' prompts plans for new Peterborough hospital building

A planning application was submitted to Peterborough City Council for the erection of a new medical facility which would serve as an extension to Fitzwilliam Hospital on Milton Way, South Bretton.

Planning documents stated: "Due to increased demand and lack of capacity in the area, this investment is seen as being important and intrinsic to reducing the continued increase in patient waiting times and deferred treatment and diagnostic services in the community."

Fitzwilliam Hospital, which would be located 700m away from the proposed facility, has 54 single rooms and one twin-bedded room all with en-suite facilities.

The service has "reached capacity" according to the plans and "essential expansion is urgently required" for day case and community diagnostics, providing on site MRI and CT scanners for early diagnostic and surgical intervention.

The new medical facility, which would be named Thorpe Wood Hospital, would also provide more bed capacity for more complex surgical procedures.

If approved, it would be located within the Thorpe Wood Business Park adjacent to Worldwide House, which is a large office building.

It is not proposed to include any overnight accommodation, however, other activities such as training, stocking, auditing, maintaining, and administration may take place outside normal operating times.

The proposed one-story facility would be operated by 142 members of staff working on a shift basis, creating around 90 full-time jobs in total, and a 112-space car park would be built to the south of the site.

Plans stated: "The creation of the highly skilled jobs will, in turn, help support the economy in the local area.

"Given the highly skilled nature of the proposed medical use, it is arguably a higher quality and type of employment which will improve the diversity and resilience of the economy and employment provision."

It would be open every day of the week from 8am to 9pm.

The proposed new building, if approved, will provide:

- Theatre suite and recovery space - MRI and CT diagnostic facility - Outpatients suite - Day case suite - Main reception, including patient waiting and toilet facilities - Staff and administration spaces - Associated plant / services space - Associated car parking / accessible spaces - Secure external waste stores

City council planners will make a decision on the application at a later date.