New Sussex cancer centre gets the green light from planners
Planning approval granted for redesigned centre at Royal Sussex County Hospital.
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The future of cancer care in Sussex has taken a major step forward with planning approval granted at planning committee for the new Sussex Cancer Centre at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.. The approval marks a significant milestone in the development of a world-class facility that will enhance cancer services across the region and provide a purpose-built environment focused on healing, innovation, and dignity.
The newly approved design, following a Section 73 amendment to the previously approved plans from March 2012, includes a range of enhancements that respond to changing clinical needs and patient feedback. Significant amendments include an increase in inpatient capacity, with all beds provided in single en-suite rooms, and the addition of a dedicated acute cancer assessment unit. This specialist facility will allow many patients to receive urgent care in a calmer, purpose-built setting rather than visiting the main A&E department.
BDP is delivering architecture, interior design, town planning, landscape architecture and sustainability services for the new centre, working as part of an integrated team alongside Laing O’Rourke and McBains.
“This planning approval reflects a shared commitment to delivering outstanding cancer care in Sussex. The amended application ensures the building can respond to the clinical ambitions of the Trust while also meeting the needs of patients and staff through a more efficient and compassionate environment. The design prioritises therapeutic, light-filled spaces, improves operational flow, and enhances access to nature, all within the constraints of a complex, urban hospital site. We’re proud to support a project that will have such a profound and lasting impact on people’s lives.”
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The five-storey centre has been carefully designed to provide a calm, uplifting and inclusive environment, with visual and physical connections to external terraces, views of the sea, and improved wayfinding. A new public plaza between the Cancer Centre and completed Louisa Martindale Building will provide a significant new civic space for the city and create a new legible ‘front door’ to the hospital. The centre will act as a specialist hub for cancer care across Sussex, supporting a new model of care delivery that enables more patients to be treated closer to home.
This next-generation facility has also been designated to Wave 1 of the national New Hospital Programme and will form a vital part of the wider redevelopment of the Royal Sussex County Hospital campus.
Following final approval of the Trust’s full business case, construction is expected to commence in 2026, with the centre opening to patients in 2029.