Demolition begins to make way for new Sussex cancer centre
Work to demolish the Barry Building has begun
Demolition work has begun on a former building at the Royal Sussex County Hospital to make way for a new £155m cancer centre in Brighton.
The Barry Building was the oldest operational NHS building in the country until it's closure in June 2023.
It was built in 1828.
The redevelopment of the plot marks stage 2 of the £750m 3Ts redevelopment of the hospital campus, which first received planning permission in 2012.
It is expected to be complete in 2028.
In January, contractors started stripping out all the internal fixtures and fittings on the Barry Building, and this month the external structure will start to be dismantled in a controlled way.
In June 2023, services at the Barry Building moved into the new Louisa Martindale Building, a new state of the art building which cost about £500m.
'State of the art purpose-built facilities'
Chief executive Dr George Findlay said:
“Over the next few months, the old hospital estate and surrounding buildings will be carefully dismantled, and a revised planning application submitted for our new £155 million Sussex Cancer Centre.
“It will bring state of the art purpose-built facilities, employing novel treatments and technologies, expertise and research together in an environment that supports improved patient and staff experience for our radiotherapy, oncology and haematology departments".
Dr Sarah Westwell, consultant oncologist and chief of service for cancer, said:
“We’re hugely excited about this once in a generation opportunity to transform the care we’re able to provide for people living with cancer in Sussex.
“The building has been meticulously designed with our patients, their outcomes and wellbeing at the heart of every decision.
Our new cancer centre will bring world-class cancer care to Brighton and Sussex, helping to save lives at a time when one in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime".