Spire Healthcare, a leading private hospital group, is delighted to announce it has been granted planning permission to develop a £63m state-of-the-art hospital in West Didsbury, South Manchester.
Built on Siemens' Princess Parkway site, the new facility will replace the existing Spire Manchester Hospital in Whalley Range, and will be a flagship hospital within Spire's portfolio, incorporating some of the most up-to-date facilities and configuration concepts.
The hospital will be equipped to undertake a significantly enhanced range of services, including highly complex surgery and medicine through a large and fully functioning Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU) together with state of the art diagnostic and imagery equipment from Siemens. Other new services will include hydrotherapy, a hybrid theatre and a 150 seat education centre.
It is anticipated there will be employment and economic benefits to the local area, and wider City from this investment, including enabling Manchester to capture a share of the health tourism market. Work will begin immediately, and will be completed by early 2017.
Chris Chadwick, Hospital Director of Spire Manchester Hospital, said: "We are delighted with the news that Spire Manchester Hospital will be moving to a prime location in the city. This location will give our patients excellent access to the hospital and represents a significant investment in Manchester by Spire Healthcare.
"By investing £63m in the new site, Spire Manchester Hospital will provide increased theatre and ward capacity for patients, larger patient accommodation and the capability for new services for the people of Manchester and surrounding areas. The new site on the corner of Princess Road and Barlow Moor Road will offer great facilities to patients and shows a commitment to research and education by Spire Healthcare."
Neil McCullough, Spire's Group Development Director, said: "Spire has been working closely with Siemens and Manchester City Council for several months on the development and we are thrilled that our plans to develop a leading centre for healthcare for the city have been approved.
"As the new development is only a couple of miles away from the existing hospital, I'm pleased that we won't lose any members of staff and, in fact, I am confident it will bring in new jobs and opportunities for the Didsbury community. We're very enthusiastic about this development in Manchester and look forward to welcoming our staff, consultants and patients to our new state of the art hospital when it opens."
Established in 1981, Spire Manchester is one of the area's leading private hospitals, offering a comprehensive range of services and facilities.
The proposal represents the first phase in the comprehensive development of the wider Siemens site. This will be anchored by the development of a science and technology-led business campus designed to facilitate the expansion of Siemens' operations in Manchester and attract businesses operating in complementary sectors.
The Siemens Campus provides a unique opportunity to bring together a cluster of knowledge-led businesses in a prominent and accessible location at the gateway to the City, benefitting from connections to Manchester's research leading universities. It is hoped the hospital will set the tone for the development of the wider site and act as a catalyst for further investment by like-minded businesses and organisations.
Siemen's Site Director, Robin Phillips, commented: "We are delighted that Manchester City Council has granted consent for Spire's new hospital. It marks the beginning of an ambitious plan to develop and transform the Princess Road site - creating many jobs and adding real value to the local economy. We will focus on working with Spire, Manchester City Council and the local community to make the development of the site successful and beneficial to the local community as well as the regional economy."