King's Lynn: Work begins on first phase of new QEH

Health secretary Steve Barclay confirmed recently that the government would replace the crumbling Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn.

Props and beams holding up the roof of the main service corridor at the QEH (Image: Chris Bishop)

Plans have been drawn up for a new hospital on what is currently the main car park on the QEH's Gayton Road site.

A new multi-storey car park will be built to free up space for the £862m rebuild.

Plans have been drawn up for a new hospital on what is currently the QEH's main car park (Image: Chris Bishop)

Today work begins on demolishing the Inspire Centre building, near the hospital's main entrance, to make way for the multi-storey.

READ MORE: Crumbling hospital still in use 10 years after use-by date

Paul Brooks, director of estates and facilities at the QEH said: “This demolition is the exciting start of our journey to our much-needed new hospital.

"The Inspire Centre has played a very important role in QEH life for many years. 

The Inspire Centre, which is being demolished to make way for the multi-storey car park which will free-up space for a new hospital (Image: Google)

"This demolition will make way for our multi-storey car park for which we received planning permission in April and will allow us to fulfil our business case to build our new hospital on the existing main car park.

"This work is the start of our journey to ensuring we are ready to deliver a new hospital now that we have been added to the government’s New Hospital Programme."

The Inspire Centre has been a landmark at the entrance to the QEH site for many years.

A model of the new hospital, shown in pink, which will be built on what is currently the main car park (Image: Chris Bishop)

It was originally home to the hospital social club and used for functions including wedding receptions, as well as housing a Montessori nursery.

More recently, it has been used as a vaccination centre dispensing Covid jabs.

Like the rest of the hospital, which is held up by more than 4,000 props, its roof is made from reinforced concrete planks which are more than 10 years beyond their originally-intended lifespan.

Props holding up the ceiling of a corridor outside the QEH's main operating theatres (Image: Chris Bishop)

People living around the site are warned the demolition work may cause some dust, although contractors will try to keep this to a minimum.