Cambridge hospitals at risk as congestion charge scrapped

There is a “residual risk” to the planned children’s and cancer hospitals at Addenbrookes.

Dr Mike More, chair of the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), said the plans for the new hospitals included an assumption that there would be a solution to the city’s transport problems.

He said while some people may be glad the controversial congestion charge and associated public transport improvement proposals were dropped, he said this did create a “residual risk” for the plans to build the new hospitals.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP) had proposed a £5 weekday road charge in the city to help fund an extended bus network with cheaper fares.

Following a public consultation that saw many people oppose the introduction of a congestion charge, revised proposals were put forward to try and address the concerns raised.

However, political support for the proposals fell apart in September 2023, leading to the plans being dropped by the GCP.

Photo: Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust/Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

A new cancer hospital and a dedicated children’s hospital are proposed to be built in Cambridge.

Dr Mike More says the dropping of these proposals could impact the plans to build the two new hospitals.

"We do need to register with the hospital’s significant planning proposals for the cancer hospital and the children’s hospital, all the planning assumptions were that there were going to be solutions to the transport problems in Cambridge.

"I register that many may be glad to postpone the [congestion charge] plans, but the change leaves us with that residual risk."

Dr More said the Trust needed to consider what this meant for the baseline assumptions when it came to planning for the new hospitals.