Sutton Council has been awarded £300,000 by the government to build the London Cancer Hub.
The proposed 20-hectare campus, once completed, would become the second biggest cancer centre in the world.
The Cabinet Office has awarded the London Borough of Sutton £250,000 for the 2016-17 financial year to support delivery of the project. The £250,000 is on top of £50,000 of initial development funding that had already been allocated by the government.
The proposed new global centre for cancer research, diagnosis and treatment will specialise in cancer research, treatment, education and enterprise, and provide development space for biotech, pharma, and software and technology companies.
It is planned to be located on the Sutton site of the ex-Sutton Hospital, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and The Royal Marsden in Belmont and Epsom and St Helier’s hospital in Sutton. The site would double the space available for world-class cancer research, deliver a wide range of state-of-the-art scientific facilities and substantially increase the rate of discovery of new treatments and their availability for cancer patients.
The awarding of the funds is part of the One Public Estate programme, a pioneering initiative delivered in partnership by the Cabinet Office Government Property Unit (GPU) and the Local Government Association (LGA). It provides practical and technical support and funding to councils to deliver ambitious property-focused programmes in collaboration with central government and other public sector partners.
Councillor Ruth Dombey, leader of Sutton Council, said: “Should it come to fruition, the hub’s pioneering cancer research and care work has the potential to put Sutton and the UK at the forefront of cancer research worldwide. It would be a huge boost to the local and national economy, providing new business opportunities that will create thousands of employment and training opportunities.”
The plans for the project have been designed by Haptic Architects and Nordic – Office of Architecture.
