New Leighton Hospital planning application submitted

Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has formally applied to Cheshire East Council to build the new hospital on land adjacent to the current site.

The proposal, submitted on Thursday, December 11, includes a six-storey hospital building, a new Ambulatory Cancer Care Centre, and a multi-storey car park with up to 1,000 spaces.

Russ Favager, the trust’s board senior responsible officer for Leighton New Hospital Programme, said: "The submission of this application is the culmination of almost two years of hard work and partnership with the national New Hospital Programme, our staff, stakeholders, and local communities.

"I’m grateful for all the feedback received, which has helped produce a plan that will deliver an outstanding building, which will help change the way healthcare is delivered.

"If approved, this new hospital will also sit at the heart of the trust’s longer-term ambition to create a health and care neighbourhood for the people of Mid Cheshire and beyond."

Other plans include ancillary buildings for the Central Sterile Services Department, new energy infrastructure, and new vehicular access routes from both Middlewich Road and Flowers Lane.

A separate planning application proposes 310 additional surface car parking spaces south of the current hospital, with access from Smithy Lane.

This application also includes landscaping, drainage infrastructure, and associated works.

A decision on the main hospital application is expected in spring 2026.

The application will be published on the council’s planning portal in due course.