Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital could move to a new, modern home on the site of HMRC’s huge Longbenton offices – if an ambitious council vision becomes reality.
The massive ‘Ministry’ complex at Benton Park View is soon to be vacated, with thousands of civil servants due to be moved to a £155m development in Newcastle city centre by 2027. And, with questions over what the future will hold for the major employment hub, a top councillor has revealed that he wants to see the nearby Freeman relocated there.
Alex Hay, Newcastle City Council’s cabinet member responsible for jobs and economic development, said on Thursday that the “fantastic” hospital needed modernising and confirmed he had held talks with the Government about a potential new building. He suggested that a new-build hospital on the neighbouring Ministry site would allow the Freeman to remain open and its services continue uninterrupted through the construction, rather than patients being disturbed by major renovations at the current site, though he admitted that the idea may not be achievable.
