Project Outline:

The old Velindre Cancer Centre was built in 1956, and was repeatedly extended before reaching the end of its useful life.

In 2018, the Velindre University NHS Trust was granted planning permission to construct a new Velindre Cancer Centre located in Whitchurch, Cardiff to serve South East Wales. It will have the capacity for 8,500 new patients and 160,000 patient appointments a year.

Prior to the new hospital being built, there was a need for significant enabling works which included: construction of a new bridge from Asda, Coryton, over an abandoned railway cutting, provision of a new access road and enhancements to the local active travel network to improve connectivity between communities.

Velindre has set itself the target of being the greenest hospital in the UK. The site was chosen for the benefits that nature and wildlife can bring to those being treated for cancer.

The Centre is committed to a Green Travel Plan, improving footways and cycle paths through the site to encourage the use of the site by the community, some of which Walters have partly constructed during the works.

Project Delivery:

The sitewide enabling works commenced in April 2022 and were completed in February 2024.  The site has now moved into the construction phase of the new hospital.

Walters worked with design partners AtkinsRéalis to design and construct a new 12-meter-wide bridge for the main access road. The bridge is supported by two 130-ton beams supported by precast reinforced Rico wall abutments which were constructed from the bottom up using soil nailing to avoid the need for a piling rig. The use of the 55-meter beams meant that structural columns which would obstruct the disused railway line below were not required. This future-proofed the bridge to allow future connectivity between Coryton Station and Taffs Well as part of the South Wales Metro.

Walters initially undertook site clearance of existing vegetation, trees and obstructions, as well as excavations to form the topography for the new site. New drainage infrastructure was provided, along with new access roads, footways and street lighting for the public.

Added Value & Client Partnerships:

It was important for Walters to align the scheme to the Wales Future Generations Act maximising social value.

Walters set up monthly meetings with local residents and worked with them to introduce initiatives like improving public footpaths, restricting site deliveries to avoid school drop-off times and creation of a scooter park.

Walters also supported local primary and secondary schools along with local sports teams with cash donations, labour support to events and resource improvement projects.  To reduce the overall carbon footprint of the project, 100% of the Walters team were locally based and either lift shared, used local public transport, walked or cycled. Walters were happy to support Velindre as a charity, by supporting them with events and materials.

The area is a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation habitats and sits next to a Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest. Walters worked within the client’s commitment to a clearance corridor as part of the European Protected Species License (EPSL) for dormice. Furthermore, for every acre of land cleared, two acres were replanted, which included the replacement of invasive, non-native species and infected trees within native woodland, to be more habitable for dormice.

For this project Walters were able to take on two local apprentice engineers, one of which, Harry Morgan won the CECA Wales Most Promising Trainee Civil Engineering Technician in 2023.

Walters completed this project on time, to budget and with zero defects on completion. It was a privilege for Walters to be involved with such an important project to improve cancer treatment facilities in South Wales.