Hospital District
The Area:
The Royal Gwent and St. Woolos Hospitals are located at the south western gateway to Central Newport adjacent to Cardiff Road. There is little or no room for the expansion of the existing hospitals. The former Whiteheads Steelworks and the Monbank Sidings together provide a major redevelopment site of approximately 90acres.
Vision:
The closure of the Corus facility on the existing Whiteheads site provides a large development site for a future hospital and related uses. This vacant, former industrial site provides for the logical and efficient phasing of building a future hospital which can not be provided by its existing site. The Whiteheads site will allow a new state-of-the-art facility to be constructed without negatively impacting on the sensitive healthcare operations of the existing hospital.
Latest News:
The 40 hectare (100 acres) site is currently the subject of a masterplanning process to ensure the best use of the land and its use for residential development, hospital use and other mixed uses. Careful consideration will be given to environmental transportation and car parking issues through the masterplanning process.
- Most of the former Whiteheads steelwork sheds have been demolished exposing a large site for development.
- The Gwent Healthcare Trust want to close the Royal Gwent Hospital in Central Newport (800 beds and 5,600 jobs) which has been the region’s main hospital since 1902 and the largest employer in Central Newport, and divide the RGH into two hospitals – a smaller 350 bed Local General Hospital for Newport and a larger 500 bed regional Specialist and Critical Care Centre Hospital.
- The Trust wants to move the largest part of the Royal Gwent Hospital’s work, the regional Specialist and Critical Care Centre, out to a rural site on the eastern edge of Cwmbran at Llanfrechfa Grange;
The proposed move would involve a potential loss of 4,000 jobs to this part of central Newport. - Newport City Council and Newport Unlimited feel that the Specialist and Critical Care Hospital should be built in a much more ‘sustainable’ location which is better connected to regional public transport routes, and that it should, therefore, remain in central Newport, in brand-new buildings on the northern part of the Monbank site on Cardiff Road, opposite Belle Vue Park and the current Royal Gwent site, and next to the new Newport Local Hospital.
- Discussions are well advanced with Gwent Healthcare Trust about placing the Newport Local General Hospital (350 beds and 1,500 jobs) on the northern part of the Whiteheads site, opposite the Royal Gwent site.
- The Health Minister is to make a decision on the remainder of Royal Gwent Hospital’s future, whether it goes to Llanfrechfa Grange, or remains in Newport and is developed as a brand new hospital on the Mon Banks site.
- If the Specialist part of the RGH is moved out of Newport then there will be a need to replace some 4,000 jobs in central Newport – requiring the northern part of the Mon Banks site for new office development.
- The Hospital District, ideally with hospitals rather than offices, is a key part of a regionally strategic ‘employment corridor’ along Cardiff Road from West Newport, through the Hospital District, and into the City Centre.
In both scenarios the remainder of the Whiteheads / Mon Bank site will accommodate some related health and education uses and up to 850 houses.
For further information please click here to be redirected to the Downloads page to access the Newport Unlimited Factsheets, Masterplan and project updates.
