Talk of moving Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital to the nearby Ministry site has been played down.
A top city councillor mooted the idea last week of building a new home for the Freeman once the huge HMRC offices at Benton Park View are vacated in the coming years, with thousands of civil servants being moved to a £155m development in Newcastle city centre.
Alex Hay, Newcastle City Council’s cabinet member responsible for jobs and economic development, told colleagues that the hospital “needs to be modernised” and that he had spoken to the Department of Health about the possible relocation. But the Labour councillor has now backtracked on those comments.
Read More: Council reveals vision to move Freeman Hospital to new home at HMRC offices in Longbenton
At a city council meeting on Wednesday night, Liberal Democrat Colin Ferguson reported that senior figures at the hospital had been left “as surprised as the rest of us” when the idea of the Freeman being moved hit the headlines. He asked Coun Hay to clarify whether the suggestion was a “carefully considered revelation of a policy commitment or an unguarded, off the cuff comment”.
Coun Hay replied: “I was very clear at scrutiny that I was expressing a personal opinion. If I could take back what I said, of course I would. But as I have said, it was a personal opinion – something I believed might be a possibility and I did make that very clear at scrutiny committee.”
At last week’s overview and scrutiny panel, Coun hay had remarked that the Freeman “needs renovation” but admitted then that the thought of building a new facility at the Ministry might not be realistic. He had said last Thursday: "I have a vision in my head for what I would love to see that [HMRC] site used for. To be honest, I don't know whether it's achievable.
"We have a fantastic hospital in the Freeman sitting behind that site, but we know it needs renovation – it is not currently as good as it could look. It is a brilliant hospital, but it needs to be modernised. [I would like] to have that hospital to remain open and [therefore] allow a new hospital to be built on the HMRC site.
"I don't know if it is achievable but I have mentioned it and I have had discussions with the Department of Health. It is something I would love to see."
HMRC announced in summer 2021 that it would be leaving Benton Park View, where tens of thousands of civil servants have been employed since the 1940s. Workers will be moved to a massive ‘Pilgrim’s Quarter’ office complex being built in the heart of Newcastle, the biggest office development in the history of the city centre.
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