The Leader of the Council reacts to the Health Secretary's announcement on Monday 20 January
The Government has announced that major redevelopment work on Whipps Cross Hospital has been delayed.
Work on the upgrade, estimated to cost up to £1.5billion, is now scheduled to begin between 2032 and 2034 following Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s update on the New Hospital Programme in the House of Commons on Monday 20 January.
Cllr Grace Williams, Leader of Waltham Forest Council, said: “This is devastating news for our community. For many years now, our borough has united to call for a new, state-of-the-art hospital that meets the needs of the community in the 21st century.
“It has now been well over five years since the upgrade was first announced – the business case has been agreed, and planning permissions have been granted. However, no firm commitment or funding from the previous Government appeared. We welcome this Government setting out its commitment to the programme, but it is deeply disappointing that patients and staff will have to wait to benefit from the world-class services they deserve and that our plans to build 1,500 much-needed new homes have been put back several years. The delay will also add extra costs to the project.
“I know that residents, thousands of whom signed our Whipps Won’t Wait petition demanding a hospital that is fit for purpose following serious flooding in 2021, will be frustrated after years of delays and disappointment.
“A new Whipps Cross remains my greatest priority. I will continue to work with the Leader of Redbridge Council, our MPs, our partners, and local people to make the case that Whipps cannot wait any longer. This project should be prioritised as one of the most urgent hospital upgrades and commence as soon as possible. Patients and NHS staff deserve nothing less. I will be requesting an urgent meeting with the Health Secretary to discuss the future of the hospital and seek to understand how funding for the current hospital will provide the highest quality care and treatment for our residents.”
The delay follows decades of community campaigning by residents and the council. The Whipps Won’t Wait campaign, launched in 2021, highlighted the urgent need for major redevelopment work at the hospital. A petition, signed by over 11,000 people, called for the Government to honour its commitment to rebuild Whipps Cross, creating a hospital that meets the needs of the community in the 21st century.
Once built, the transformed ‘smart’ Whipps Cross Hospital will greatly improve health outcomes for 400,000 residents in Waltham Forest, Redbridge, and Essex who are served by the hospital. Clinical space will be increased, the number of CT and MRI scanners will double, and the proportion of beds in single-occupancy rooms will rise significantly.
The redevelopment will drive broader economic and housing growth through the creation of 1,500 homes, half of which will be affordable, including homes for NHS staff and other key workers. This will create a new east London neighbourhood with modern amenities, community spaces, and local shops.
The project will also improve air quality, further reducing health inequalities. Building upon Waltham Forest’s track record as a pioneer for active travel in London, with the healthiest streets in outer London, the public transport, walking and cycling connections to the hospital will be upgraded, and 58,500sqm of new green space will be created.