Camden gives nod to £350m Moorfields Eye Hospital in King’s Cross

Camden Council has approved plans to build a new £350m home for Moorfields Eye Hospital in King’s Cross, NW1. The plans will see a two-acre eye care and research centre built on the site where St Pancras Hospital is currently located. The newly named Oriel eye centre will house the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, both of which are currently based at the historic Shoreditch site. Minister for health Edward Argar said: “The Oriel eye centre will enable London to deliver world-leading patient care and scientific research under the same roof, as part of the biggest hospital infrastructure programme in a generation to build back better.” The scheme will involve knocking down seven buildings at the King’s Cross site and replacing them with a part seven-storey and part 10-storey building, containing more than 500,000 sq ft of space. The new building will provide an eye care accident and emergency department, outpatient facilities, operating theatres, research areas, education space, café, retail areas and a roof garden. During the planning meeting, concerns were raised around accessibility to the building, given that it does not feature on-site parking. However, Johanna Moss, director of strategy at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, told councillors the scheme was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to attract medical and research talent to the area. David Probert, chief executive of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, added: “This is truly a significant milestone for Oriel and the future of patient-centred eye care. The new eye health centre will be a world first and has been designed to accommodate the greatest integration between research and patient care.” The treasury, the department for health and NHS England have given the proposals the green light, which means that detailed work on designing the new centre can build momentum.  The move is subject to approval by the GLA. Engagement on the new centre is ongoing, with a series of events taking place throughout the summer to involve staff, patients and partner organisations in the design of the building’s interior. The new site is expected to open in 2026. Patients will continue to be treated at City Road until then. Existing services at St Pancras, run by Camden & Islington NHS Foundation Trust, will relocate. The development has been designed by engineer Aecom and architect Penoyre & Prasad, which is now owned by Perkins and Will. JLL is acting as planning consultant. The proposals were submitted last November by Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Milestone for City Road sale The approval means that the sale of Moorfields’ current building on City Road can finally progress. It is thought that there are about a dozen buyers vying to purchase the 2.5-acre island site near Old Street and that its sale is likely to achieve more than £200m. CBRE is handling the sale. Any deal would be subject to planning approval from Islington Council and the proceeds would help fund the development of Moorfields’ new centre in King’s Cross. The NHS trust has been considering a relocation for a number of years, with proposals first mooted in 2013. Together with the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, it is the oldest and largest centre for eye treatment in Europe. In its report to the planning committee regarding the St Pancras scheme, Camden Council officials wrote that Moorfields’ current buildings at City Road are “no longer fit for purpose”. “This is affecting the quality of care as well as hampering the progression of new research and teaching to further understanding and treatment to tackle diseases of the eye,” it added. The new King’s Cross centre will also contain a dedicated exhibition space on the ground floor. This will be used to “help preserve the heritage of our hospital and the important part the City Road site has played in our history”, according to documents relating to a Moorfields Eye Hospital foundation trust board meeting held in February. To send feedback, e-mail alex.daniel@eg.co.uk or tweet @alexmdaniel or @EGPropertyNews