Dorset Council has approved changes to the design of a £100m redevelopment at Dorset County Hospital, as construction of the new emergency and critical care facility progresses.
The revisions affect the connection between the new building and the existing Emergency Department, the position and height of rooftop ducting, and landscaping beside the hospital’s patient car park.
The new facility is being built on the former Damers School site next to the existing hospital in Dorchester.
Tilbury Douglas is the construction partner for the scheme.
Work began last year, and the building is due to be completed and operational in 2027.
Under the approved changes, the link corridor connecting the new building to the existing Emergency Department will move 2.9m west to align with the gable wall of the existing department.
The change will shorten the corridor and create additional landscaped space between the two buildings.
The rooftop ducting stack will also be moved further south, away from the existing hospital building, and lowered.
Galvanised perforated cladding will then be used to conceal the ductwork.
Parts of the new building will also be slightly lower than shown in the original plans.
Planning officers concluded that the changes would not have a significant effect on the layout, appearance or character of the approved development.
The wider project at Dorset County Hospital
The wider project will provide a new Emergency Department with dedicated areas for major and minor cases, paediatrics and patients experiencing mental health difficulties, alongside ambulance offload and rapid assessment facilities.
A new Critical Care Unit is also being constructed directly above the Emergency Department.
It will increase critical care capacity from 11 to 16 beds, with scope for further expansion, and will include dedicated paediatric space.
The development also includes a new rooftop helipad, funded separately with £2m from the HELP Appeal.
A topping-out ceremony was held for the CCU in July following installation of the helipad, marking the building reaching its highest point.
The new Emergency Department will have a dedicated entrance from Damers Road, with new access arrangements intended to improve vehicle flow around the site.
The existing Emergency Department and Critical Care Unit will remain operational until the new facilities are complete.
Once services move into the new building, space in the existing hospital will be repurposed, including for same-day emergency care.
The project is being funded through the government's New Hospital Programme. Dorset County Hospital Charity is separately seeking £2.5m for enhanced facilities for patients and families within the new departments.
