NHS boss pushes back completion date for new Princess Alexandra Hospital off M11 at Sheering by up to two years

A series of hurdles faces local NHS bosses as they battle to deliver a replacement for Harlow’s Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) by a new deadline of 2032.

Michael Meredith, director of strategy and estates with the PAH NHS Trust (PAHT), told the Indie that he now expected the health campus to be “up and running” two years later than the previously hoped-for completion date of 2030.

A key announcement expected this month will be critical to the timetable. The PAH project is part of the Government’s Hospital 2.0 programme to standardise design for future developments and deliver on a Conservative manifesto pledge to build 40 new hospitals across the country by 2030. Bishop’s Stortford’s Tory MP Julie Marson previously claimed the facilities would be ready by 2028.

Mr Meredith said: “We’ve had another £1.5m support this year to develop our business case.

“At the moment, we don’t have a start date. We’re expecting an announcement this month on the running order of all the big schemes across the New Hospital Programme.

“However, we are predicting a completion date at the moment of between 2030 and 2032.”

He was confident the new facilities, currently pencilled in for land next to junction 7a on the M11 at Sheering, could be “up and running by 2032 at the latest”.

But he added: “Of course, that’s all dependent on the New Hospital Programme and the funding allocation following from that programme, but the expectation is we get a decision this month.”

Hopes are high that PAH could potentially be in pole position when the running order is announced because the team scored highly in a recent governance review of all projects.

Mr Meredith was optimistic a planning application would be submitted in autumn 2025. In the meantime, negotiations are continuing to secure the land required for the health campus.

He added that the trust continuously reviewed other potential sites, however, the Sheering land remains the preferred option for the state-of-the-art facilities for up to 500,000 people, including the communities in Bishop’s Stortford, Sawbridgeworth and Stansted.

He confirmed rebuilding on the existing PAH site at Hamstel Road in Harlow had been ruled out.

While the start date and site remain uncertain, PAHT bosses are optimistic that any change of Government at the General Election expected this year and the prospect of a Labour victory will not scupper the scheme.

Mr Meredith said: “We can’t predict exactly what a new Government will do. At the moment our assumption is that the New Hospital Programme will be supported. We can’t see any Government pulling funding completely from [it], so our expectation is that it will continue to be funded and supported.”

The departure of the trust’s chief executive, Lance McCarthy, in August will also not affect progress. Interviews for his replacement will take place on June 18 and his current deputy, Sharon McNally, will take control during any interim period.

Mr McCarthy was clear: “Will my departure have any impact at all on the New Hospital Programme? Absolutely none.”

PAH was built in the mid-1960s and is showing significant signs of age with a “week in, week out struggle to keep the infrastructure in good working order”.

Mr McCarthy said the case that it was a “failed asset” that must be replaced remained strong.