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The ‘first phase’ of a £1.5 BILLION ‘critical’ mega-project in north Manchester has been completed, NHS bosses have confirmed. A rebuild of North Manchester General Hospital will start in earnest in 2028 after the Labour government confirmed the project , set to cost between £1-£1.5bn, earlier this year after a Manchester Evening News campaign. The scheme’s future was in doubt after ministers put it under ‘review’ last summer, following years of inaction by the then-Conservative government after Boris Johnson pledged a rebuild in 2019. Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE Health bosses have called for a new North Manchester General for years, after staff described it as a ’19th Century workhouse’, with ceilings collapsing around Victorian walls. The massive project, described as ‘critical to everything that’s happening around the city’, will see facilities dating back to the 1870s finally leave regular NHS use, with a ‘healthy neighbourhood’ becoming the cornerstone of Crumpsall as job opportunities, research facilities, and new housing all expand. On Tuesday (November 4), it was revealed ‘significant progress has been made’ on making the vision a reality, with ‘phase one of enabling works’ complete, NHS chiefs told a Manchester council meeting. In effect, it means several outdated facilities have been vacated and services moved to new buildings, a new multi-storey car park opened, as has the new North View mental health centre. More details of what will open when is set to be confirmed in the coming years, according to Michelle Humphreys, director of strategic projects at Manchester Foundation Trust. “A healthier population is helpful to the hospital. So how can we better support healthy living [is something we are looking at],” she told the council’s regeneration scrutiny committee. “We still have phased development. There’s land available. But what parts of the healthy neighbourhood will come forward once the hospital is built. We have some work to do with phasing. “There will be a need for some further public investment to go on with the healthy neighbourhood.” Previously, council leader Bev Craig said ‘North Manchester won’t close’ during construction’ and ‘the quality of care won’t be impacted in the meantime’.
