New hospital should be built in stages, MP says

The government is being lobbied to build the new Royal Preston Hospital in stages so that some of its key services can open sooner than they would on the current long-delayed timetable.

The replacement building, provisionally earmarked for a site in the Farington area of South Ribble in Lancashire, had been due to begin operating by the mid-2030s.

However, the government announced in January that construction work on the £2bn scheme would not now begin until between 2037 and 2039.

Ribble Valley MP Maya Ellis, in whose constituency the Royal Preston's current Fulwood site sits, said she had been talking to ministers about the possibility of a phased development.

The Labour politician was speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service in response to being accused of failing residents by voting against a parliamentary bid to speed up the process of replacing the ageing facility.

A Liberal Democrat opposition day motion in the Commons last week called on the government to "reverse the delay" to the nationwide New Hospital Programme of which the Royal Preston is a part.

Councillor John Potter, who leads the Lib Dem opposition group on Preston City Council, condemned local Labour MPs for not backing his party's push and taking Central Lancashire "for granted".

He said: "Many Preston residents will be let down that Labour voted down a Lib Dem motion calling for the hospital delays to be reversed.

"What is even worse is that our two Labour MPs in Preston didn't put the best interest of their residents first. Maya Ellis voted against while [Preston constituency MP] Sir Mark Hendrick didn't bother to vote."

Sir Mark Hendrick's office was approached for a comment.

The veteran MP has previously opposed the suggested shift of the Royal Preston to Stanifield Lane in Farington – some eight miles away from its current base – calling instead for a "refurbishment" of the existing site and for a new urgent treatment facility to be opened in the city centre.

Ms Ellis said: "I absolutely recognise that Royal Preston Hospital is no longer fit for purpose and the government is doing everything it can to ensure it is rebuilt as soon as possible."

The maintenance backlog at the Royal Preston was estimated to stand at £157m according to a calculation made in 2021 as part of the case to secure funding for a new building.

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