Preferred site proposal for Future Hospital is lodged

19 October 2016

The Council of Ministers’ preferred site for Jersey’s Future Hospital has been formally submitted to the States Assembly. The proposition (P.110/2016), which confirms the intention to build on part of the existing General Hospital site, plus adjoining land in Kensington Place and other nearby sites, will be debated by States Members before the end of this year.

Since the proposed scheme was signalled as Ministers’ preferred option in June, the Future Hospital project team has been working on proving the concept and preparing the brief for the new hospital and relocated services in readiness for moving forward as fast as possible if the States support the recommendation to progress the preferred site. The intention is that existing services will be relocated, enabling the building phase of the project to start in early 2019.

States Members are being asked to approve the site location in principle when the proposition is debated with detailed proposals to be submitted prior to the summer recess in 2017. This would pave the way for the creation of a regenerated healthcare campus in the heart of St Helier.

The overall project is predicted to cost up to £466 million, as set out within the Medium Term Financial Plan Addition recently approved by the States.

Important landmark

The Minister for Health and Social Services, Senator Andrew Green, said he was delighted to have reached this important landmark.

“A great deal of work has got us to the point where we’ve been able to officially lodge the Report and Proposition for the site of the new hospital that our Island so badly needs,” he said. “We have had a very constructive summer of engagement with Islanders, hospital staff and States Members.

“We have been heartened by the goodwill shown towards the proposed scheme, and now have a clear idea of what needs to be done before we can hand over the site to those who’ll build the hospital. Before then we require the support of States Members to confirm our preferred site, and I hope we’ll be well-placed to receive this at the conclusion of the Assembly debate.”

The Minister for Infrastructure, Deputy Eddie Noel, welcomed the lodging of the Proposition. He said: "I firmly believe that the preferred site offers a strong and pragmatic solution for Jersey in terms of infrastructure. We are delighted to be supporting the Minister and Department for Health and Social Services in developing an excellent, safe, sustainable and affordable hospital for Jersey."