THE latest proposals for a new hospital at Overdale are “the best outcome Islanders could hope for”, the Health Minister has said following the submission of a planning application for the £710 million project.
Twelve years after former Health Minister Anne Pryke announced a £293 million plan for a new hospital, Deputy Binet said he was “cautiously hopeful” that the new complex would open by the end of 2028.
“Things have gone smoothly so far but we might have a few interruptions – who knows? It’s a big scheme to run seamlessly without any problems but, with a fair wind, [it will be open at] the end of 2028,” Deputy Binet said.
Environment Minister Steve Luce must now decide whether to refer the application to his Planning Committee, or to order a further planning inquiry to be conducted by an independent planning inspector.
Deputy Binet said he was “hopeful” – because the final scheme represented “a less intrusive” one than its single-site predecessor for which a permit was secured last year – that they would not have to proceed to a full planning inquiry, and that it could now finally be delivered.
“The public mood seems to be ‘just get on with it’ – all the consultation processes are telling us that – and that’s just what we are keen to do,” he said.
Two-thirds of the size of the discarded single-site option – which Deputy Binet rejected as Infrastructure Minister entrusted with the project in the previous government – the Overdale acute hospital involves no loss of domestic property and relatively minor adjustments to Westmount Road, a focus of concern in the previous scheme. The Jersey Bowls Club, previously told that they would have to find new premises, will retain its home.
The minister claimed there had been “a very positive consultation process all the way through”.
The final scheme incorporates some recent changes, including the exchange of the renal and endoscopy units between Overdale and Gloucester Street, and a remodelled entrance canopy to shield visitors from inclement weather. Asked whether the final scheme accommodated the wishes of clinicians, the minister replied: “Renal and endoscopy were exchanged by negotiation with the people involved and that seems to have been satisfactorily dealt with. With all of these things you fine-tune as you go until the point where you submit, and I believe generally people who will be using the facilities appear to be happy with the end product.”
But although the £710 million budget also includes some provision for work at Kensington Place and St Saviour’s health village, the minister acknowledged that direct financial comparisons between the earlier scheme – which would have concentrated the entire hospital complex at Overdale – and the revised multi-site option were difficult.
He said: “We have had various estimates but I think we would have been in excess of £1.1 billion had we carried on with the previous scheme. It could have made life a little difficult, putting a lot more traffic up at Overdale. Between 85% and 90% of the footfall is going to stay in town which, in my view, is a more practical place for it to be. With an acute hospital what’s most required at the moment is operating theatres and overnight stays, and that’s what will be provided here, so I think it is more fit for purpose.”
An outline business case to support expenditure of £710 million on the facilities in the 2025-2028 budget concludes that construction of the acute hospital at Overdale, and progressing with projects at Kensington Place and St Saviour’s Health Village represents better value than an alternative to refurbish existing facilities and new building on the existing General Hospital site.
Key features of the final application include:
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More than 60 additional acute overnight beds.
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A campus concept with the creation of a focal “heart” from which all hospital services radiate.
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A “stepped” building, pulled away from existing residential properties, as far as is possible, to reduce overall bulk.
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Highest clinical floors two storeys below the previous scheme with a small area of plant at one storey below.
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Retention of houses east of Westmount Road and the bowling club.
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Arrangement of inpatient bedrooms on the upper storeys to maximise views across the town and coast.
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Reuse of the existing Jersey Water Building as a facilities management hub.
