Changes to new hospital plans – but campaigners aren’t happy

CHANGES are being made to the controversial planning application to build a new £180m cancer hospital.

Applications have been submitted to Cardiff council to revise access roads for the building of the new Velindre Cancer Centre on meadowland next to Whitchurch Hospital.

But a campaign by residents to stop the building of the hospital on the area known as the Northern

Meadow has been gaining momentum. Campaigners have accused hospital bosses of “not adequately hearing their concerns”.

A petition set up by residents has attracted more than 8,000 signatures.

The submitted plans cover new road and car parking layouts at the Asda store in Coryton, where the main access to the new Velindre Cancer Centre would be.

Velindre University NHS Trust is also seeking to extend the period when the temporary construction road on the Whitchurch Hospital site can be used. The plan would have that in place until November 2024.

The hospital trust says this extension would save between £5m and £11.5m, and mean the hospital could open in 2024 rather than 2025.

But resident Tessa Marshall, who is part of an action group campaigning about where the hospital is planned to be built, said: “We feel that spending £30m on building illconceived access bridges and roads to a landlocked site through a nature reserve is extortionate and is fundamentally against the principles of the Future Generations Act. This money should be spent on patient care or new hospital equipment.

“They cannot have consulted local residents effectively as their in-person consultation period was cut in half by the lockdown.”

Project director of the new hospital David Powell said: “We have listened carefully to the many comments and opinions expressed during the pre-planning public notification period and we’ve improved our proposals as a result.”