The new Mayor of South Yorkshire recently visited Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park to hear about plans for the creation of a world-beating centre to improve child health.
Oliver Coppard was speaking on a visit to the Park where it is hoped building work will start later this year on a National Centre for Child Health Technology (NCCHT).
He said: “10 years after London 2012, it’s amazing to see this genuinely world-leading facility thriving in our region, and I couldn’t be more excited to see that legacy build further.
“Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park alone is home to some of our region’s best assets for health, wellbeing, and research – the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre, Community Stadium, University Technical College and the National Centre of Excellence for Food Engineering.
“It has been great to learn about the plans for the National Centre for Child Health Technology which would bring yet another world-leading resource to South Yorkshire.”
Sheffield City Council has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust to allow development to start, and the Trust Board has now approved the business case for the Centre.
The agreement comes on the back of £8.8m of Levelling Up funding for the NCCHT, with discussions progressing around several major private and public sector investment and research partnerships.
The £26m flagship development will bring together and accelerate the development and commercialisation of innovative child health technologies, improving health outcomes for generations to come.
The NCCHT also aims to develop technologies to address key national strategic priorities in child health, including childhood obesity, child and adolescent mental health, cancer, disabilities, long-term conditions and prevention.
Ruth Brown, Chief Executive of Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The National Centre for Child Health Technology will bring enormous benefits and life-changing health innovations to children across the UK and internationally.
“To have the world’s most advanced child health technology centre built here, in partnership with academia and private sector innovators, is exciting. It will be a great boost for Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park and the South Yorkshire economy, and we are delighted to have the support of the Mayoral Combined Authority alongside the £8.8million levelling-up funding already received.”
The Mayor was given a tour of Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park where Legacy Park Ltd Chair Rt Hon Richard Caborn and Chief Executive Dr Chris Low outlined the transformational vision and delivery plans for the next £150m development phase.
2022 marks the start of the next phase at Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park with development partners Scarborough Group International (SGI) shortly to unveil a Master Plan for approximately 850,000 sq ft of commercial space across an 80-acre zone.
The plan includes a 100,000 sq ft Innovation Centre and a 70,000 sq ft Grow-On Centre to support start-up and growth-stage businesses, alongside a multi-storey travel hub.
The new ‘Canon Medical Park Community Arena’ will open next year as a carbon-neutral built community arena with multi purpose sports facility and integrated Medical Diagnostic Centre.
Richard Caborn said: “2022 will be a year of transformational delivery at the Park, which will see the completion of the first £100m investment phase and the start of the next £150m forward investment Master Plan from our partners at SGI.
“This hot-housing of health and wellbeing skills and innovation with elite and community sport – which drives not only economic growth and community regeneration but also delivers whole population health gains – is a model attracting national and global interest and investment.”
