Green light for Sir Bobby Robson Institute
Newcastle has approved the cancer treatment and research centre, which will be located at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital with Robertson as main contractor.
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust submitted plans for the institute in September.
Construction on the institute will begin early next year, and the hope is the centre will open in 2028.
P+HS Architects led on the design, which was inspired by the molecular structure of a hexagon – a key feature of Rubraca, the first ‘Geordie cancer drug’.
The rest of the project team includes Pegasus, One-Environments, Shed, WG Consulting, and Turner & Townsend.
Construction will be funded by The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, part of Newcastle Hospitals Charity, with the Trust overseeing its operation.
£20m has already been raised by the foundation to fund the project, with a campaign underway to raise the final £10m.
The hope is the centre will pioneer ground-breaking research in cancer treatment and significantly increase the number of clinical trials available for patients across the North East, north Cumbria and North Yorkshire.
The institute will combine the existing Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre and the hospital’s cancer and blood disorders research teams, providing a dedicated, three-storey building equipped with the latest technology.
