Sheffield’s Weston Park Hospital reveals plans for new radiotherapy building

In the last 15 years there has been a 38 per cent increase in demand for radiotherapy at the hospital, both in the number of patients to be treated and the complexity of those treatments.

The hospital wants to demolish a former coach house on Wellesley Road and build an extension for Linac equipment, a device commonly used which delivers high-energy X-rays or electrons.

It’s phase one of a potentially much larger expansion and improvement for the hospital, which is a national centre of excellence and the only provider of radiotherapy in South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire.

What is the Weston Park masterplan?

Architects James Totty Partnership say: “Sheffield Teaching Hospitals has already completed several parts of a masterplan to redevelop the hospital site.

“This includes the refurbishment of the inpatient wards, construction of a link bridge into the main hospital campus and the expansion of the pharmacy unit.

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“The remaining projects still to be delivered, as part of this masterplan, are the expansion of radiotherapy facilities, a new outpatient and cancer research block plus the refurbishment of a chemotherapy day unit and new main entrance together with mechanical and electrical infrastructure schemes.

“These proposals relate to the expansion of radiotherapy services for both the population of Sheffield and wider city region.”

NHS England will fund the radiotherapy provision because there is an increasing demand for the treatment and existing equipment is operating at capacity. The last upgrade to radiotherapy at the hospital was in 2005.

Special design of the radiotherapy block

The stone built Coach House is semi derelict and was last used for storage until it became unsafe to access.

It’s on the very edge of the conservation area but is overshadowed by a development from 20 years ago. A number of mature trees would need removing.

The architects say there is a lack of space on the existing site plus all the radiotherapy teams need to be in one location and the new rooms will be next to existing ones on the lower ground floor of the hospital.

The Linac machines mean the block needs dense concrete walls up to two metres thick to provide the radiation protection and windows are not possible.

The application says: “The design had to be in line with the overall masterplan and ensure that the location of the new Linac rooms had no impact on future development

“There are very few Linac bunkers in the UK and there are limited examples of how to deal with the aesthetic design of a solid concrete box with little or no fenestration.

“The shape and size of the Linac rooms is essentially fixed by the need to accommodate the equipment and to provide adequate radiation protection. The extension is essentially a solid concrete box.”

Planners thought original concrete panels looked ‘heavy’ so glass and a green wall have been introduced.

Officers are considering the application.