Some of the UK’s most innovative healthcare facilities will be available in Bristol following planning approval for the redevelopment of the private Chesterfield Hospital site in Clifton Village.
The decision by Bristol City Council gives site owners, not-for-profit healthcare organisation Nuffield Health, the green light to invest £20m in revamping the disused hospital – a move that safeguards 95 jobs and potentially creates a further 50.
Nuffield will now sell its St Mary’s site in Upper Byron Place, off The Triangle, Clifton, and transfer all services to the Chesterfield once the redevelopment has been completed.
The new combined site will create a state-of-the-art medical facility – described by Nuffield as a world-class boutique private hospital – for up to 30 in-patients, with three operating theatres and 12 consulting rooms as well as some of the most advanced MRI and CT scanning equipment in the UK.
Nuffield said the redevelopment will be sympathetic to the area and include a significant capital investment to restore the original Grade II-listed Georgian merchant’s house fronting the site – a plan welcomed by English Heritage. There is also a robust travel plan in place to alleviate potential congestion in the area which includes car share schemes, valet parking and strict limits on delivery vehicle movements.
Trish Lee, chief executive – hospitals at Nuffield Health, said: “We have been part of the Bristol health community for 50 years and this decision means that we are able to invest for another 50.
“The new hospital will take healthcare to new heights in Bristol and include new technology and techniques to improve the patient experience. In addition, we will be bringing a heritage building back into use in a way that is sympathetic to the local area.”
The Chesterfield closed in 2007. The new hospital will open in 2013.