Velindre Cancer Centre judicial review rejected by judge

An artist's impression of how the new Velindre Cancer Centre at the Northern Meadows will look

A High Court judge has rejected the request for a judicial review into a new cancer centre in Cardiff.

Campaigners called for the review after the Welsh government gave the go-ahead for the planned hospital in March.

They claimed there were several legal issues with that decision, including problems with the environmental impact and the clinical model.

But judge Sir Ross Cranston dismissed the claims and ordered the claimants to pay fees.

Save the Northern Meadows campaigner Catherine Lewis has been ordered to pay £46,182.

Ms Lewis, who has been treated for breast cancer at Velindre Hospital, said the government failed to consider building at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) and would be in breach of a legal duty to maintain and enhance biodiversity by building the replacement in Whitchurch.

The campaign had previously raised more than £23,000 through crowdfunding to apply for the judicial review.

Catherine Lewis wanted the Welsh government to look at other options

But Mr Justice Cranston said the Nuffield Trust report into Velindre, published in November, took into account a range of views on co-locating a new hospital at UHW and said ecology was a planning matter and not part of the business case.

He ordered Ms Lewis to pay £10,328.50 in legal costs to the Welsh government and £35,853.60 to Velindre University NHS Trust.

Ms Lewis said these costs were excessive and claimed she felt "bullied".

"I am still unable to work to full capacity due to the debilitating effects of cancer treatment and like many other self-employed people during these difficult times, I rely on working tax credit and assistance with housing costs."

Preparations for the site's construction are expected to begin within weeks, with building work on the hospital itself scheduled to begin in March 2023.

The new centre is due to open in summer 2025.

The existing Velindre Cancer Centre is based in Whitchurch - and the new facility will be close to this site

Earlier this month, a leaked letter revealed how an advisory board of cancer experts warned against building the new Velindre hospital at the Northern Meadows, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It argued building a standalone site would be worse for patients and research compared to building the new hospital next to a large general hospital such as UHW.

But the Nuffield report said the need for the new hospital was urgent and building elsewhere could cause several years of delays.

The Welsh government said it was unable to comment on ongoing cases.

A Velindre spokesman said: "We are committed to delivering excellent non-surgical tertiary cancer services for the population of south-east Wales.

"It would be inappropriate to comment on a live legal case."

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