With work to pull the old hospital down nearly done, new images and details of what will replace it have been issued
The demolition site of the former Royal Liverpool University Hospital today(Image: Liverpool Echo)
New plans have been revealed for what will be developed on the site of the old Royal Liverpool Hospital, with demolition of the major city centre building now in its final stages.
The decommissioning and demolition of the huge old Royal Liverpool Hospital has been under way since the new facility finally opened in October 2022. The work to pull the old site down is being carried out by specialist contractors DSM and is funded by the government’s New Hospital Programme.
This work is now in its final stages, with high-reach demolition of the old 11-storey ward block now complete. DSM will remain on site until October of this year, completing substructure removal of the foundations and tunnels and preparing the ground for the future development.
So as Liverpool prepares to say a final farewell to a hospital that has been part of the fabric of the city since 1978, attention is turning to what will replace it on the huge piece of land where it stood.
Construction is expected to start this summer on an extended podium and two-way entrance, connecting Mount Vernon Street and Daulby Street – hospital bosses say this improved infrastructure will enhance access to the new hospital. New artist’s impressions have been released of how this new infrastructure will look once completed.
An artist’s impression of how a newly created approach at the hospital site could look
This work is being carried out by BAM Construction and is expected to be completed by Autumn 2026. NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHL Group) – which operates the Royal, as well as Aintree Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital and Liverpool Women’s Hospital – is currently developing a strategic masterplan in partnership with the New Hospital Programme and Liverpool City Council’s Planning and Regeneration teams.
This plan will provide a framework for all future developments on this crucial city centre site. Some decisions about what will be built on there have already been made.
Cancer support charity Maggie’s is currently going through the local authority planning process in order to be able to build a new Liverpool centre, which will be located on part of the old hospital site near Prescot Street, aiming to help cancer patients – as well as their family and friends – from across the region.
This project has been commissioned, designed and funded by the Steve Morgan Foundation. Subject to planning permission being granted, the Maggie’s centre is expected to be opened in 2027.
Hospital bosses on the demolition site of the old Royal Liverpool Hospital site
In terms of what comes next for the rest of the site, the UHL Group is working in partnership with the University of Liverpool to develop early plans for Health Innovation Liverpool – a health and life sciences campus that forms a major part of the strategic masterplan for the site.
Health Innovation Liverpool would house medical, dental and nurse training facilities for future generations of healthcare professionals, conduct healthcare research with the NHS to benefit the Liverpool population and house companies that it is hoped will power the Liverpool City Region Life Science growth agenda.
James Sumner, Chief Executive of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, said: “Demolishing the old site in such close proximity to the new Royal and neighbouring buildings has been a complex project and reaching this milestone is a significant achievement. The immediate work we have planned for the extended podium entrance will make a real improvement to how people access the site.
“Further redevelopment is subject to planning and funding, like any new building work, and we are working closely with partners to develop a masterplan that will have the health and wellbeing of our patients and local communities at its heart.”
Yvonne Smith has worked at the Royal Liverpool Hospital in all its different forms
One person who has seen a lot of change first hand when it comes to the Royal Liverpool Hospital is Yvonne Smith, Unit Manager on the Gastroenterology Unit.
Yvonne began her career in 1978, is one of only a select few who has worked at all three of the Royal hospitals.
She said: “I trained at the old Royal Liverpool Infirmary, There were about 70 of us in my set, and we lived on site. It was very different back then, right down to how we put on our uniforms. We wore a white cap, apron and a navy cape with red trim for errands during night shifts. It looked smart but wasn’t very practical.”
Among her earliest memories are those watching the construction of the now old Royal building. She said: “We’d sit on the rooftop of the old hospital and watch the new one being built. Sometimes, if it was warm, we’d even sleep up there.
“Leaving a building you know so well is hard, so many memories, friendships, hard times and truly wonderful times, but I’m excited for what’s next.”