the hospital and construct a multi-story parking, as well as a separate application to construct 1,500 residential apartments in lieu of part of the current structure. The hospital project will construct the four- to ten-story new hospital on the site of the old nurses’ quarters while the present institution stays operational.
The council cleared both the proposals, which is pushing the government to expeditiously fund the program. It has filed a petition urging the Department of Health and Social Care to prioritize the facility in its new hospitals initiative. The hospital was named in 2019 as one of six new hospitals receiving £2.7 billion over five years.
The NHS trust began a procurement drive for the project last year, describing it as the country’s first net-zero carbon hospital and predicted that the construction would begin in 2022 with completion within four years. According to the council’s statement, it expects the construction to begin in 2023 and conclude in 2026. However, no contractor has been engaged so far.
Simon Miller, Waltham Forest Council cabinet member for economic growth and housing development, expressed delight over the approval. He said, “We are delighted with the decision at the planning committee. Residents deserve a fair deal for Whipps Cross and the hospital is in desperate need of redevelopment. It’s fantastic that the wider development plans will involve new green, public spaces, and other flood mitigations in place, after the devastating impact of flooding to Whipps in July.”
Redbridge Council, which borders the hospital, wrote a letter of support for the construction and finance requests, while it voiced concern about the new facility’s 51 fewer beds and fewer parking spaces than the present facility. According to the trust, the new hospital will feature a third more clinical space, nearly double the number of CT and MRI scanners, and significantly more single rooms than the existing facility. A request for comment has been sent to the Department of Health and Social Care.
