Specialist Eddisons team begins demolition work for new £35m cancer centre

A specialist team from Leeds-based property consultancy Eddisons has begun work on the demolition of a disused hospital wing to make way for a new £35m cancer care centre.

Demolition work at the former hospital block at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle, which was opened by Princess Anne in the 1970s, started this week and is being led by Eddisons.

Appointed on behalf of North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust to plan and project manage the controlled demolition, the Eddisons Building and Project Consultancy team was brought on board due to the complex and hazardous nature of the work.

Ian Harrington, National Head of the Building and Project Consultancy team at Eddisons, said: “Phase one of the project involves the controlled demolition of a 1970s wing of the building, which has stood empty for 18 years and contains high levels of asbestos.

“It’s a delicate process that has to be managed extremely carefully, as the disused tower block adjoins the busy working hospital and is amongst a complicated network of existing services and infrastructure. The site is also next to the VIE plant, where the hospital stores oxygen, nitrogen and other gases used in surgery – so it really is a balancing act.”

“Our team are very experienced in this area of work and are currently engaged in other areas of the country on similarly tricky projects.”

The demolition project is due for completion in April this year and the new cancer centre set to open in 2020. The state of the art facility will utilise the latest technology and provide a range of oncology services, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy, for cancer patients in northern Cumbria.

“We are all very excited to see the demolition progressing and we look forward to seeing the new centre come to life after years of planning,” said Suzanne Stanley, radiotherapy services manager at North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust.

“Going to hospital can cause anxiety and getting treatment for cancer is scary. We hope this building will put people at ease by being in a relaxing and comfortable environment. The demolition of the tower block is the next milestone for us in improving cancer services.”