Land gets cleared for new cancer hospital

Soil capable of filling seven Olympic-sized swimming pools has been dug up and removed from the site where a new hospital is being built.

Pre-construction work for the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital has started at a former car park on the city's Biomedical Campus.

Work has also been taking place for the new Cambridge Children's Hospital, due to be built around the corner on land off Robinson Way.

An update on both hospitals, which have been granted planning permission, was provided at a recent board meeting at Cambridge University Hospitals trust.

Its chief executive, Roland Sinker, said: "In both cases work is ongoing on the full business cases. As part of this, the partners are taking stock of areas including the clinical model, research strategy, fundraising plan and construction capability."

Work on the land excavation for the cancer hospital and an archaeological dig is expected to last until the autumn.

The cancer hospital has been described as being the "first of its kind" and is due to bring together under one roof NHS staff from Addenbrooke's Hospital and world-leading scientists from the University of Cambridge and its Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre.

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