Planning For New London Cancer Facility

Plans for a major new treatment and research facility at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton have been given the green light. Permission was approved unanimously, subject to conditions of a Section 106 Agreement.

The Royal Marsden is a world-renowned centre of excellence with an international reputation for ground-breaking research, pioneering the very latest cancer treatments and technologies and specialising in cancer diagnosis and education. The Oak Cancer Centre will enable it to help people with cancer across London and the south east, and to discover breakthroughs in cancer research that will benefit patients throughout the UK and around the world.

The new six storey building will contain a blend of out-patient activity including 63 medical daycare chemotherapy infusion bays which all benefit from a westerly orientation towards a richly landscaped garden space. One of the driving forces of the project was to create modern, peaceful spaces with access to natural daylight, views, nature and fresh air to ensure patients receive treatment in the best possible environment. The building is designed to be very legible and intuitive to move around ensuring that anxious patients are not further stressed by being disorientated. In addition to its new modern facilities with the latest technology the centre will bring together over 400 researchers who are currently dispersed across the site, in spaces designed to encourage collaboration and speed up the development of new treatments.

Chief Executive of The Royal Marsden, Cally Palmer CBE, said: “We are delighted Sutton Council has approved our plans for the Oak Cancer Centre. This state of the art facility, with a focus on early diagnosis and accelerating developments in research, will allow us to be there for everyone who needs us for decades to come.”

Building work is due to begin next summer, with the centre due to open in 2022.