Major Projects - Health as a Driver for Regeneration

The £162 million redevelopment of Walsall’s Manor Hospital that will see outdated buildings replaced with state-of-the-art facilities has begun in earnest following the granting of planning consent in June 2007.

Work on the new hospital is being undertaken by Skanska Innisfree, based in Sweden, as part of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) that makes up £140 million of the project. Skanska, one of the top five construction companies in the world, is undertaking both the construction and the ongoing facilities management, demonstrating the long-term commitment of this major international player to investing in Walsall and its future.

The overall design of the new hospital is sufficiently flexible to allow change to meet future health care priorities with the 21st century facilities that the people of Walsall deserve. Manor Hospital proposals for Foundation status demonstrate a clear commitment to make sure that all the diverse communities of Walsall are fully involved in deciding the shape and nature of their own healthcare.

This exciting new development, which will be completed by 2010, and the training opportunities that it offers sit well with WRC’s determination to make the skills agenda a key element in its drive to establish ‘Walsall, a Town for Enterprise’.

Discussions are at an early stage for the creation of a Construction Academy through the development of a partnership between Skanska, Walsall College, Walsall Housing Group, Shepherd Construction, Norwest Holst, University of Wolverhampton and WRC. WRC has also worked closely with key players to ensure clear connectivity within the public realm between the hospital and town centre.