Plans for educational campus at new Smethwick 'super hospital' unanimously approved
Sandwell Council has unanimously approved a planning application to build a learning campus on land at the Midland Metro University Hospital under construction in Smethwick.
The net zero carbon building on Grove Lane will provide healthcare training and is being developed in collaboration with an array of further and higher education establishments in the West Midlands.
Work is due to begin on the educational campus in early 2024, although the hospital itself has been beset by delays.
Just this month, it was revealed that the hospital was no longer on track to open to patients in the spring, with an opening date pushed back to autumn next year.
This was another blow for the much-delayed hospital, which was originally set to open in 2018, but suffered setbacks from the collapse of construction giant Carillion and the Covid-19 pandemic.
When completed, the new hospital will have more than 700 beds, 11 operating theatres and an emergency unit. It will also host maternity services.
While a representative from Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust could not attend the planning meeting on Wednesday evening, a statement on behalf of the Trust was read out.
The statement said: "This learning campus is developed in collaboration with Sandwell Council, Sandwell College, the University of Wolverhampton, and Aston University.
"It's a purpose-built learning campus at the gateway of the new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital site and benefits from close direct links with the hospital.
"It will provide training and pathways into employment in healthcare and related professions.
"Once constructed it will be managed by the NHS Trust's Learning Works department as a one-stop shop to promote community access to training."
The statement continued: "It will be community-focused and it will deliver social value in construction.
"The project is fully supported by the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust."
The Trust also claimed that the appointment of a construction contractor for the project is imminent, with construction due to start onsite in early 2024.
