New details out today on Leeds' Â£450m hospitals plan as MP Hilary Benn praises 'exciting development'

An image of what the inside of the new Leeds Children's Hospital building could look like.

New documents were yesterday published by Leeds City Council, ahead of a pre-application presentation over the proposals by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

The YEP this week revealed early plans to create two state-of-the-art hospital buildings, billed as “world class”, that will include a new children’s hospital opposite Millennium Square and behind the LGI’s Brotherton Wing.

Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn today praised the project that he said would "realise a long-held ambition of many people".

The site will consolidate paediatric services in Leeds, currently spread across the Clarendon and Martin Wings.

A second, adult facility, joining onto the Jubilee Wing has also been proposed as part of the expansion, which was yesterday hailed as NHS bosses as a “huge step forward” for patient care and innovation in Leeds.

In pictures: The changing face of hospitals in Leeds over the yearsThe pre-application will be discussed by the council’s City Plans Panel on Wednesday.

A report, prepared ahead of the meeting and published yesterday, has now also revealed the trust’s plans for a new, 450-space multi-storey car park serving the children’s hospital.

Hilary Benn, MP for Leeds Central, told the YEP: "This is a really important and exciting development which will improve healthcare for the people of Leeds and of the region.

"The new Children’s Hospital will bring care onto one, purpose-built site and so realise a long-held ambition of many people. I wish the project every success.”

The published early-stage plans show that, in order to create the new site, the former nurse’s home, and a mix of 20th century buildings that currently sit behind the Brotherton Wing, some of which have “architectural and historic merit”, would need to be demolished.

There were also details about planned changes to parts of the St James’ Hospital, including creating a new pathology building, a new “multi-specialty assessment area” supporting A&E and centralising ophthalmology services.

The proposals will be discussed in detail at the pre-application presentation next week, before the trust plans to lodge a full planning application in December.