Published on Wednesday 31 August 2022
A vital infrastructure investment at Wessex Fields, that would allow plans for a state-of-the-art medical research facility to progress, will be considered at the next meeting of BCP Council’s Cabinet (7 September 2022).
In 2021, BCP Council in partnership with the University Hospitals Dorset NHS Trust (UHD) agreed on plans to sell part of the site to UHD and install vital infrastructure to enable innovative medical research facilities to be developed at Wessex Fields.
BCP Council is now seeking approval to design, fund and build a link road from the existing A338 slip road through the Wessex Fields site. This would connect the development site to hospital land and provide access that would support the delivery of UHD’s wider £250 million transformation programme.
Councillor Philip Broadhead, BCP Council’s Portfolio Holder for Development, Growth and Regeneration, said:
"We want to bring our exciting vision for Wessex Fields another step closer and to do this we need to put necessary infrastructure in place, and in the ground.’’
"This is something we agreed to take forward in partnership with the UHD Trust and if approved it will be a significant milestone, giving them the green light to finally progress with their plans as well as fully unlocking our vision for a medi-tech science park. This will bring major education, employment and investment opportunities to our region.
"For too long we’ve had a road to nowhere. These proposals would unlock the remainder of Wessex Fields site for future development, create new jobs and reduce congestion around the hospital, ensuring we have a road to somewhere exciting."
Wessex Fields is a strategically important development site, included in the portfolio of sites allocated to BCP Council’s urban regeneration company FuturePlaces. The report being presented to Cabinet will provide an update on FuturePlaces master-planning activity for Wessex Fields, taking into consideration the environmental, social, economic and transport themes identified by residents. The masterplan could include the provision of onsite affordable/key worker housing, care accommodation and community facilities.
For more information, please see the full report online.