The building of the new infirmary near Lancaster Uni has been pushed back until 2035

The plans for a new Infirmary in Lancaster, which is supposedly being located in Bailrigg, near Lancaster University, has been postponed once again with construction being expected to begin by the mid 2030’s. 

The new Royal Lancaster Infirmary and Royal Preston Hospital are alongside nine other hospitals that have been placed in a third and final wave of work, allowing for the possibility of the opening dates being pushed back until the mid 2040s. 

The proposal that the new infirmary will be located close to Lancaster University and the Health Innovation campus would allow for new opportunities of training and research and emphasises the need to ensure the new hospital is well served by public transport.

Aaron Cummins, Chief Executive of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust which runs the RLI, said: “A new hospital on a new site in Lancaster will allow us to fully address the significant problems that we face with the current ageing buildings at Royal Lancaster Infirmary and will bring huge benefits to our communities and to the wider economy.”

The government has announced that the expected cost of the new Royal Lancaster Infirmary will be somewhere between £1bn to £1.5bn. This comes after the new Labour government have said that they are “committed to rebuilding our NHS and to rebuilding trust in government.”

A number of events have been organised, which will allow members of the community to have their say on the future construction of the hospital. These will take place on Wednesday 12 February 2025, from 5:30pm to 7pm, located at Morecambe Football Club, and Friday 14 March 2025, from 10am to 11:30am, located at Lancaster University.