New £110m Countess of Chester Hospital building set for approval

Plans for a new building at the Countess of Chester Hospital are expected to be signed off.

It will house the Women and Children's Service as the current site is made from a material which has been deemed at risk of collapse and needs to be removed.

NHS England has provided £110m for the construction of the new building.

The plans will be discussed at a meeting of Cheshire West and Chester Council on 7 February.

The current Women and Children's Service is inside a 1970s building constructed out of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, which has been identified as risk of sudden collapse and needs to be removed by 2030.

The proposals include the construction of a three-storey building and a temporary car park on a lawned area.

This is to compensate for the loss of parking during construction, and the lawned area would be replaced once the new building is finished.

The parish council has objected amid concerns about the car park.

It said it would cause "significant harm" to the setting of the Grade II-listed 1829 hospital.

Planning officers at the council said there was a "high level of less than substantial harm" but the public benefits of the scheme outweigh it.

They added it should be noted the car park would be temporary.

Overall, they said the "very substantial benefits" outweigh any concerns and recommended the scheme be granted planning permission, subject to certain conditions.

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