PLANNING DECISIONS


Essentially, the planning consent – for a new five-storey Critical Care Building, the demolition of the existing Barnes Unit, relocation of the Tissue Building, a new replacement link corridor within the building connecting the Trauma Building, and various ancillary works – was granted partially retrospectively. This unusual move was in response to the urgent demand of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care System for increased critical care capacity. Coupled with this demand, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust experienced a surge in hospital admissions due to the pandemic, which resulted in an overflow of patients from critical care units to other hospital accommodation, such as general wards and theatres, which in turn impacted ongoing elective activity.


Fast-tracking due to ‘a number of factors’ It was necessary for the planning application to be fast-tracked due to a combination of factors: time-limited available funding for the new facility, the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, and the pressing critical care need. Collaboration was key to achieving this. The City Council was consulted at the earliest possible stage, and both members and senior planning officials were fully appraised and updated on the initial build phases. Ultimately, this close working partnership resulted in the planning application being placed before the Council’s East Area Planning Committee where, after debate, the Committee resolved to grant the application.


Under normal circumstances, planning approval and construction for a new development of this scale would take many months, or even some years, with building beginning only when planning permission had been granted. This development creates a hugely significant


new clinical facility at the John Radcliffe Hospital, and provides much-needed critical care for the region. Achieving its delivery in such a short space of time was only possible with the collaborative position afforded by the City Council in its consideration of the proposal, and the proactive way in which the Council engaged with the Trust team through the planning application process. It is a reflection on too, and an excellent example of, the direction of travel of the Government’s evolving planning regulations in respect of the general easing of the planning path for health authority-related developments, particularly so during the ongoing pandemic.


Case study:


Abingdon Vaccine Centre On behalf of the UK’s Vaccines Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC), Carter Jonas gained planning permission from the Vale of White Horse District Council in September 2020 for the construction of the Abingdon Vaccine Centre. In an unusual move, the Council had allowed construction of the facility to begin while simultaneously processing the planning application because of the critical nature of the facility, and the role that it played in manufacturing vaccines for COVID-19 and beyond.


VMIC, a not-for-profit organisation based at Harwell Campus, provided the country’s first bespoke strategic vaccine development and manufacturing capability, and as such played a large part in enabling the UK to progress swiftly with its vaccination programme. An additional government grant of £93 million was awarded to VMIC in May 2020, with the purpose of expanding the facility’s capabilities, fast-tracking the build of the 7,400 m2


(footprint) state-of-the-art facility, and bringing forward operational


readiness to 2021, a year ahead of the original scheduled date. Alongside this, VMIC invested in more technology to increase its manufacturing capacity 20- fold, to be capable of producing 70 million pandemic vaccine doses in 4-6 months.


A ‘pillar’ organisation at Harwell VMIC occupies a prominent location on the 700-acre Harwell Campus, home to 6,000 people across 225 organisations, with 30 universities represented on site. As a pillar organisation within the Harwell HealthTec Cluster (58 organisations, collectively employing 1,250 people), VMIC is co-located with the UK’s open access National Laboratories, including the Diamond Light Source and The Rosalind Franklin Institute, as well as innovative start-ups/ SMEs, through to multinationals working in the global and UK life sciences sector.


Under normal circumstances, planning approval and construction for a new development of this scale would take years, with construction beginning only when planning permission had been granted. Due to COVID-19, and VMIC’s national and international significance, Vale of White Horse District Council took a different approach, and fast-tracked the application process, meaning that much of the planning work taking place behind the scenes was carried out simultaneously to construction work.


Collaboration was key to securing the fast-tracked planning permission. Council officers significantly increased the contact they would typically hold for this size of project, meeting regularly with VMIC, Harwell Campus Management (project managers), Carter Jonas (the planning consultant), Glencar Construction (main construction company), and UK Research and Innovation (the agency funding VMIC). Greater contact with statutory consultees, the local parish council, and the ward councillor, ensured that consultation processes were adhered to, and queries were responded to swiftly.


A ‘united approach’ Abingdon Vaccine Centre, at the point of planning permission in September 2020. 28 Health Estate Journal September 2021


The role of the Vaccine Centre, at the forefront of the nation’s fight against COVID-19, was always going to be an exceptionally challenging project. Delivering the building almost a year early demanded a united approach. The collaboration enabled construction to move quicker than expected. That planning approval was achieved so rapidly, while development of the centre had already begun on site, was testament to the determination and hard work of all those involved in the ground- breaking project. This involved embracing new technologies, strategies, and processes, to accomplish a clear and thorough consultation process, and reach a successful outcome.


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