'Crumbling' central London hospital rebuild 'back on track' after £50m cash injection

A “crumbling” central London hospital that had its rebuilding work delayed by more than decade has received a £50 milllion cash injection so planning work can continue. Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust will be able to use the money for design work to redevelop St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, where escalating repair problems are costing £10million a year. St Mary's along with St Helier Hospital in Sutton, Charing Cross Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital and Whipps Cross in Leyton were promised funding for upgrades by 2030 under the previous Conservative administration.

But the Health Secretary Wes Streeting last month said they would have to delay their projects until as far back as 2038 because they were not affordable. The announcement sparked widespread condemnation, with Imperial College NHS Trust Chief Executive Tim Orchard saying St Mary's urgently needed to be rebuilt and the project "repeatedly kicked down the road for the last 25 years". However, after meetings between local MPs and health trust bosses with Government officials this week, £50million over three years was signed off to speed up the rebuilding process.

While construction work will still likely be a decade off, it means plans can be drawn up for the complicated development and planning permission submitted by early 2028. A new taskforce with Westminster councillors and MPs will be set up to help identify additional funding options for a new hospital building on the east of the site, which will increase the number of beds from 600 to more than 800.

The single, tower-like building will have a smaller footprint than the current facilities, allowing for a life sciences hub to be created on the existing site. Kensington and Bayswater MP Joe Powell said it meant the St Mary’s scheme was “back on track”. He added: “Today’s news is a vote of confidence in the long-running campaign for a new St Mary’s. “Residents across North and West London are desperate for this project to start as soon as possible and I agree.

“The investment over the next three years will allow planning and development work to be accelerated, and explore maximising the Paddington Basin site so we can secure financing to bring forward construction as soon as possible.”. Cities of London and Westminster Rachel Blake added: “This is a vote of confidence in this scheme which will transform the hospital. It is a significant step forward after years of uncertainty for St Mary’s.”.

Professor Orchard, said: “At the same time as progressing design and planning we will be stepping up work with partners to develop options for reducing the amount of New Hospital Programme funding required for construction, aiming to be able to bring forward the start date. “We have an exceptional opportunity to make a significant contribution to economic growth through the expansion of Paddington Life Sciences – the life sciences hub surrounding St Mary’s – at the same time as building the new hospital to replace our current facilities, some of which are 180 years old.

“Independent analysis shows an expanded Paddington Life Sciences will create an additional 12-15,000 jobs and generate up to £1.5 billion in new economic activity annually.”. Adam Hug, Leader of Westminster council, said: “This will really boost efforts to explore and secure additional funding sources to cover the main construction costs, unlocking economic potential and speeding up delivery.