Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust have just issued the following update about their plans for the Princess of Wales Hospital in Ely.

As Landlord of the Princess of Wales in Ely, Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust is working with health and social care partners to create exciting re-development plans for the site.  Our ambitious plans for the future will ensure we maximise opportunities for the site to meet the needs of the local population in the long term, building on existing health and social care provision locally.

We have begun a programme of meetings with service providers on site to identify their future clinical and physical requirements for any new build/redesign.  We’re also meeting with key external partners, including East Cambridgeshire District Council and the local MP, to ensure we understand and can take into account the wider aspirations and challenges for the East Cambridgeshire population.

This programme of meetings will culminate in the development of a business case which in turn will inform a planning application in due course.  Once we have a clear understanding of stakeholder requirements and potential plans for the site (which we envisage will incorporate the majority of existing buildings being rebuilt to modern day standards), we will host a number of events in 2018 to share these proposals with the local community.

We anticipate that this process will lead to building work commencing on site in 2019 with the new site becoming operational in 2021.