Ground broken for critical development of new Leighton Hospital

Construction work has officially started on a critical infrastructure development for the creation of Crewe’s new health and care neighbourhood, which will have a new Leighton hospital at its heart.

The work will see the creation of a new electrical substation enclosure, providing the required resilient power for the proposed new net zero hospital, which will be located to the north of the existing Leighton Hospital. Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust purchased this land last year. The new substation will provide the infrastructure required to bring all the necessary power onto the site by November 2027.

The construction will be undertaken by Robertson Group and includes new access from Flowers Lane to allow vehicle access solely for the electricity company, Scottish Power, to the substation. Whilst some existing hedgerow will be removed, around 50m of native hedgerow will be replanted to offset this. The existing trees on Flowers Lane will be protected and retained, as will the natural habitats, with additional trees also planted to meet the Trust’s environmental targets.

The planning application for this substation enclosure was approved by Cheshire East Council earlier this year. This work is separate from the main hospital planning application. which will be submitted in December 2025. If approved, construction on the new hospital would begin in summer 2028.

Russ Favager, the Trust’s Board Senior Responsible Officer for Leighton New Hospital Programme, said: “The site currently has no power supply, so putting this critical infrastructure in place now ensures we’re ready to move quickly once planning permission for the new hospital is hopefully granted in spring 2026.”

Paul Coyle, Regional Managing Director, Robertson Construction North West, said: “We have worked with the Trust since 2021 to maintain and improve its estate, and we look forward to continuing that partnership as we take this first major step towards the new hospital together, setting the high standard for the project’s next stage.”

Pics

Representatives from the programme’s various partners – Gleeds, Ryder Architecture, New Hospital Programme, and Robertson Group.

L-R Jim O’Brien, MEP Lead for Healthier Futures; Russ Favager, the Trust’s Board Senior Responsible Officer for Leighton New Hospital Programme; Chris Knights, Healthier Futures Programme Director; Ian Moston, the Trust’s CEO; and Dean Benjamin, Construction Director for Healthier Futures