Whipps Cross Redevelopment – Phase 1 planning consultation virtual public meetings | Our news

As part of the planning consultation of the emerging designs for a new Whipps Cross Hospital and the development of the wider site we published a booklet and held three virtual public meetings in December 2020, to give members of the public an opportunity to find out about the emerging proposals, ask the programme team any questions and give their feedback.  

The events were led by Barts Health NHS Trust and Ryder Architecture, the appointed architects for the programme. 

Each event included a short presentation setting out the emerging proposals followed by an interactive question and answer session. Attendees were also encouraged to use the ‘chat’ function during the meeting to raise questions and give their views on what was being shown.

In total, the public meetings were attended by around 60 people across the three sessions. The slides that were presented can be found here and a recording of the presentation can be viewed below.

 

 

Key feedback on emerging design themes

The feedback and questions from members of the public on the emerging designs fell into a number of clear themes:

• The size of the hospital building, including the height and massing
• The impact of the hospital on local residents, including its construction
• The importance of retaining land next to the hospital for potential future expansion of healthcare facilities
• Transport and the impact of the proposals on local traffic levels
• Public transport access including bus routes into the site and the importance of locating bus stops close to the new hospital
• Queries about how the strip of land between Lea Bridge Road and the hospital site, known as the panhandle, may be used
• The location and height of the proposed multi-storey car park
• The height and massing of proposed new buildings on the wider site
• The levels of affordable housing, including accommodation for key public sector workers, when the wider site is developed
• The importance of the sustainability agenda in respect of the new hospital, so that it can deliver net zero carbon

Although the primary purpose of the meetings was to receive feedback on the emerging designs and ideas, there were also questions and feedback about the health and care services strategy for the hospital and the capacity needed to support delivery of safe, high-quality services.

Information on these and a range of other questions can be found in our FAQs document which will continue to be updated with responses to key questions we have been asked to date.

The feedback on the emerging design proposals received via these and other meetings, the online survey, feedback form, email and freephone, are all being considered by the Trust and the design team, to help shape and develop the evolving proposals.

We will share more information and design proposals in early 2021 in a second round of planning consultation, when people will again have the opportunity to provide comments and ask any questions. This feedback will be considered before any planning applications are submitted to the London Borough of Waltham Forest.