Plans for the construction of a new planned care centre at Derriford Hospital have been given the green light by city planners.
The 120,000 square feet building will be located in an area known as the North West Quadrant, near the existing multi-storey car park.
As part of the development, a second multi-storey car park will be built, along with offices, alongside the existing car park at Bircham Park. It will add 600 more parking spaces for staff and visitors.
The planned care centre (PCC) will be a three-storey stand-alone care facility offering non-acute and orthopaedic treatment, as well as providing outpatient facilities. The care element will consist of a welcome lounge, outpatients department, diagnostic department, four operating theatres and post-op area, plus a 30-bed ward.
The Y-shaped development will also include a retail outlet, restaurant, landscaping and infrastructure works.
According to the applicants – Aviva Investors Pensions – the provision of state-of-the-art patient and clinical services on the one site represents a radical change in community healthcare provision for the area.
The new building will feature a public plaza or courtyard at the heart of the development as well as an airport-style welcome lounge, featuring large glazed areas overlooking gardens and woodlands on the site.
It is expected to handle an estimated 100,000 patients a year and enable the main Derriford Hospital to focus on acute and emergency care.
However, according to the planning officer’s report ‘there is no certainty that Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust will occupy the facility. The applicant wishes to make the building available to alternative healthcare providers should they receive interest from any.’
