£35m cancer treatment centre gets go ahead

Planning approval has been granted for a £35m cancer treatment centre in the new £1bn Paddington Village part of Knowledge Quarter Liverpool.

The facility will be one of four centres currently being developed by Proton Partners International, making it the world’s largest developer of proton beam therapy centres.

The oncology centre, which will be known as The Rutherford Cancer Centre North West, will provide an all-encompassing cancer service for patients, offering proton beam therapy, as well as chemotherapy, traditional radiotherapy and imaging.

It is expected that conventional treatments will be available in 2018 and proton beam therapy in 2019.

Mike Moran, chief executive officer of Proton Partners International, said: “This marks the next step in our mission to make the best cancer technology accessible to patients across the UK and I’m proud that our next centre will be in my home town of Liverpool.

“Knowledge Quarter Liverpool is a really exciting project to be involved with. It’s already proving to be a world-class destination for business, science and innovation, which sits right at the core of our values as a company.

“By building centres across the country we hope to transform the level of cancer treatment available to patients and therefore receiving planning permission is a key milestone for us. Not only will our centre bring an innovative industry to Liverpool, but it will also bring skilled job opportunities that will play a key role in boosting the local economy.”

It is expected The Rutherford Cancer Centres will each be able to treat up to 500 patients a year and treatment will be available to medically-insured private patients, self-paying patients and patients referred by the NHS.

Proton Partners International is also building a genomics research centre at the Life Sciences Accelerator building in Liverpool which will be the first part of a health campus set to surround the £335m new Royal Liverpool Hospital.

The genomics programme will support Proton Partners International’s broader research work with the University of Liverpool’s Physics Department.

Joe Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool, said “This planning permission is great news for Proton Partners, Paddington Village and KQ Liverpool and we look forward to seeing the building take shape.

“KQ Liverpool is gaining real momentum now and, as a world-leader in medical and life sciences research, is fast becoming a major catalyst in the city’s economy.”