£50m dental hospital to be built at St Chad's Circus
Housebuilding and construction group Galliford Try has been appointed to build the new £50 million combined dental hospital and school to be built on the site of the former BBC Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham.
The construction contract is worth around £34 million. Galliford Try chief executive Greg Fitzgerald said: "It is hugely encouraging for our construction business that we are able to secure such significant work in the health and education sectors despite the economic climate."
The Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry is expected to be open in the autumn of 2015.
The landmark development, led by Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust, together with its partners the University of Birmingham, Birmingham and Solihull Local Improvement Finance Trust and Calthorpe Estates, was originally given planning permission in December.
The development of the three-acre site will see a new 166,000 sq ft four-storey building housing walk-in emergency dental care and departments of restorative and oral surgery, oral medicine, orthodontics and paediatric dentistry.
The public will access all dental services in one wing of the building, with a second wing providing research facilities and a school for more than 600 undergraduate and postgraduate students and trainees.
As lead contractor Galliford Try is expected to start work on site in the coming weeks. It will replace the existing dental hospital at St Chad's Circus, which is more than 50 years old. It will also be linked to the University of Birmingham's School of Dentistry.
Tracy Taylor, chief executive of Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust said: "The new Birmingham Dental Hospital and School of Dentistry is a symbol of everything we want to achieve as a provider of high quality healthcare services.
"We are committed to working with our partners to provide excellent care and treatment for all the communities we serve in accessible locations, fit-for-purpose for modern healthcare provision. It is very pleasing construction work can begin."
And Barry Cockcroft, the chief dental officer for England said: "This demonstrates the confidence people have in the university and NHS teams in Birmingham to deliver high quality education and services."
Sean Bowles, managing director of Galliford Try Central added: "We are proud to play our part in providing these excellent new facilities for the benefit of the students who pass through the doors and the wider community in the West Midlands."
