Demolition work has begun on the Barry Building at the Royal Sussex County Hospital to make way for a new Sussex Cancer Centre.
Until it’s closure in June 2023, when services moved into the new Louisa Martindale Building, the Barry Building was the oldest operational NHS building in the country.
The redevelopment of the plot marks stage 2 of the £750m 3Ts redevelopment of the hospital campus, which first received planning permission in 2012.
Chief executive Dr George Findlay said: “Over the next few months, the old hospital estate and surrounding buildings will be carefully dismantled, and a revised planning application submitted for our new £155 million Sussex Cancer Centre.
“It will bring state of the art purpose-built facilities, employing novel treatments and technologies, expertise and research together in an environment that supports improved patient and staff experience for our radiotherapy, oncology and haematology departments.”
In January, contractors started stripping out all the internal fixtures and fittings in the Barry Building, and now the external structure is being dismantled in a controlled way.
The demolition plans have been thoroughly reviewed and approved by the city council with every effort made to minimise disruption, dust, and noise for patients, visitors, staff, and residents.
For example, demolition activities will only take place from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, with both noise and dust limits and permanent monitoring and suppression measures in place on site.
Demolition programme
The site will be cleared in the following order between now and the summer:
1 Front and west Barry Building
2A Fracture Clinic
2B East Barry Building
3 IT & Data Centre
4 Nigel Porter Building
5 ENT Building
6 Hanbury Building
Deliveries and materials are being held off-site near the Marina, with traffic management in place to safely control all vehicle movements.
All materials are being carefully segregated to divert at least 85% from landfill, with a target of achieving 95%.
Transforming cancer care
The Sussex Cancer Centre and a new public area to expand the front entrance to the Louisa Martindale Building are due for completion in 2028, subject to planning and business case approvals.
A revised planning application will be submitted to the city council soon and a full business case is being prepared.
Dr Sarah Westwell, consultant oncologist and chief of service for cancer, said: “We’re hugely excited about this once in a generation opportunity to transform the care we’re able to provide for people living with cancer in Sussex.
“The building has been meticulously designed with our patients, their outcomes and wellbeing at the heart of every decision. Our new cancer centre will bring world-class cancer care to Brighton and Sussex, helping to save lives at a time when one in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime.”
The hospital trust’s director of capital development and planning, Robert Cairney, added: “Stage 1 of the redevelopment, now known as the Louisa Martindale Building, has completely transformed the clinical environment for more than 30 wards and departments since it opened for patients.
“Stage 2 will do the same for our radiotherapy, oncology and haematology departments and provide state of the art facilities for patients receiving treatment for cancer too.”
