Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Hospital ‘shell’ offer considered
Branded ‘non-starter’ last month, but trust says proposal is viewed favourably
A developer’s offer to build the £80 million shell of a new Canterbury hospital is being seriously considered by health chiefs, the Gazette can reveal.
Mark Quinn’s pledge to fund the construction of a modern building next to the rundown K&C site was branded a “nonstarter” by critics when it emerged last month. But East Kent Hospitals Trust chief executive Matthew Kershaw this week confirmed talks have been held about the ambitious proposal, which insiders say is viewed favourably by health bosses.
He said: “We are discussing the developer’s offer in more detail to see what potential it may have and whether it is an option that could provide further opportunities for the future plans for hospital services, which will be consulted on next year.”
If the idea is pursued, the NHS would need to find the money to turn the shell into a functional hospital on council-owned land at Ridlands Farm. Money could be raised by selling the current K&C site in Ethelbert Road, which the trust recently had valued at close to £55 million – a figure that would rise considerably with planning permission in place.
A caveat of the Quinn deal is the developer being given the green light by the council to build 2,000 homes on farmland stretching round to Nackington Road, near Canterbury Rugby Club.
Forward funding from the NHS would be needed to build the hos- pital shell, but would be paid back by the landowner when the homes are built.
Mr Kershaw says he is acutely aware of the obstacles the Quinn proposal presents. “The shell of a hospital would require capital funds to be turned into a functioning hospital and we need to take that into account, as well as other matters such as whether the hospital could be completed in a reasonable time,” he said.
“There are also other factors such as planning consent and access to consider. As a public body, it’s important that a rigorous process called ‘due diligence’ is followed before any decision could be made about the potential of any new development.”
As well as having a financial impact, the Quinn proposal throws a spanner in the works of the trust’s controversial sustainability and transformation plan (STP), which proposes a radical overhaul of local healthcare services. One option on the table is reconfiguring its three main hospital sites, with the Kent and Canterbury likely downgraded to a rehabilitation site offering elective surgery.
The STP document is due to go out to public consultation early next year.
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