Cancer centre to be built on former hospital site

The ward block of the former Royal University of Liverpool Hospital has been demolished

A new cancer centre is set to be built on the site of a former hospital, which is in the final stages of demolition.

The Royal Liverpool University Hospital's 11-storey ward block has been demolished, with contractors now preparing the site for redevelopment, NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group said.

Construction will soon begin on a new podium and entrance to improve access to the new hospital, with work set to be finished in Autumn 2026.

A wider plan for the site includes a Liverpool centre for Manchester-based cancer charity Maggie's, which is set to open in 2027, the group said.

A podium and entrance is set to improve access to the new hospital

Plans are also under way to build the University of Liverpool's health and life sciences campus - which will house medical, dental and nurse training facilities - on the site.

The hospital, which opened in 1978, was decommissioned when the new hospital opened on the neighbouring site in October 2022.

Chief executive of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, James Sumner, said: "Demolishing the old site in such close proximity to the new Royal and neighbouring buildings has been a complex project and reaching this milestone is a significant achievement."

He said the masterplan for the former hospital's site would be developed with the "health and wellbeing of our patients and local communities at its heart".