Construction of £26M Forest of Dean community hospital underway

Published by

Sam Pither

Construction on a new community hospital in Cinderford has now begun, coinciding with the seventy-fourth anniversary of the NHS.

The project, which is costing £26 million, is being progressed by contractor Speller Metcalfe on behalf of Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC).

Paul Roberts, Chief Executive of GHC, said: “I’m excited to mark the start of the construction of a new community hospital for the Forest of Dean.

“It’s been an extremely challenging couple of years for colleagues in the NHS so it’s fantastic that we are returning to important work like planning and building this hospital, which will be an enormous asset for the area.”

The Forest of Dean hospital is intended to replace and improve existing services in Cinderford and Lydney. Once complete, the two-storey hospital will house a 24-bed in-patient unit alongside provision for dental, X-ray, physiotherapy and endoscopy services, among others.

A range of measures are being put in place to lower environmental impact and improve energy efficiency, with the aim of achieving a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.

These include protecting and increasing the existing habit and hedgerow by over 2000 per cent - planting over 100 new native trees, extending the dormouse habitat and using ecologically friendly lighting at the hospital entrance to avoid disrupting the existing bat flight path.

Adrian Speller, Technical Director at Speller Metcalfe, said: “Speller Metcalfe has a long-standing history of NHS delivery, and we are excited to undertake a scheme which puts the onus on a low-carbon approach – something we try to advocate as far as possible across the spectrum of work we undertake.

“To tie in with the NHS’ 74 years of remarkable service is a fantastic way to mark the start of the first hospital of its kind in the Forest of Dean.”

Inside, air source heat pumps will replace traditional gas heaters, helping to lower energy usage and thus cutting down on carbon emissions. Reducing the carbon produced in the production of the energy a business uses is one of the two main methods of working towards net zero.

As well as timber, cladding on the building will incorporate green and grey highlights to blend in with the forest background. It will also be situated lower into the ground, reducing the height of hospital to help immerse it into the surrounding environment.

Procured under the Gloucestershire County Councils Major Construction Works framework, the hospital will be located on Steam Mills Road on the Lower High Street playing field, and is set to complete in early 2024.

Sam Pither

Sam is the Regional Editor of Biz News, responsible for both Hampshire and Dorset. A new recruit to journalism, Sam started writing for the Business Magazine as a freelancer in May of 2022 after completing his degree in English at University College London. His passion for local businesses and ability to tell a story soon caught the attention of the publication’s management team and have led to his meteoric rise. Sam, who lives in central Reading, takes a particular interest in technology, gaming and food and drink, having been a chef before starting his degree.