New Sunderland eye hospital gets the go ahead

Plans to create a new eye hospital in Sunderland have been given the go ahead by Sunderland City Council.The planning application for the £36m NHS facility was submitted over the summer.The hospital will replace the existing Sunderland Eye Infirmary facilities on Queen Alexandra Road which are now over 75 years old.It will also mean that Sunderland will remain home to the regions only standalone eye hospital, and one of the few specialist centres for ophthalmology care in the NHS.Plans for the new hospital took on board the views of hundreds of patients and members of the public from across the region, as well as The Royal Institute of Blind People, following an extensive patient and public involvement process led by South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.Now the plans have the green light from the council, it is expected that work will begin in spring 2022 with an announcement of a preferred contractor expected in the coming days and the hospital being ready to open its doors in 2024.The plans for the hospital have been developed by the Council with a team including North East architects Ryder and Turner and Townsend Project Management.The new hospital will stand alongside The Beam; City Hall, which is days away from completion, and two further commercial properties that are being developed as part of Legal and General’s £100m commitment to Riverside Sunderland.