Construction on the £484m project is scheduled to start in the first half of 2016 and take nine years to complete.
Laing O’Rourke has been the project's main contractor since 2009 and actually started work in September 2014 with the erection of six-storey temporary buildings to accommodate hospital services during reconstruction proper. Only now has the project been officially signed off and the contract finalised, however.
The overall project will redevelop the front half of the Royal Sussex County Hospital site in Brighton, with two new buildings replacing the current out-dated facilities. The first of the new buildings is scheduled to open in 2020 and the second in 2023. The hospital will continue to run all its clinical services on site throughout the redevelopment.
Laing O’Rourke project director Paul Lynchehaun, who has taken over from Steve Lloyd in the role, said: “We are delighted to have reached this pivotal point and the whole project team is now clearly focused on delivering the redevelopment of the hospital. The redevelopment will not only deliver an improved hospital site fit for future needs but as importantly; will also provide apprenticeships, graduate placements and jobs for people who live locally. Laing O’Rourke looks forward to working with the Trust and the communities of Brighton and Sussex over the coming years to leave a positive legacy for both hospital users and the communities it serves.”
The first building to be redeveloped will be handed over to Laing O’Rourke between January and June 2016. Once the handover period is complete, the whole southeast quarter of the hospital will be under construction, although the Cancer Centre will remain open and functioning throughout the entire project.
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