Changes to road layout as Baird Family Hospital and ANCHOR Centre project advances

To allow work to begin on the new £233million Baird Family Hospital and ANCHOR Centre project, traffic and pedestrian restrictions have been put in place on the Foresterhill Health Campus.

Construction will start in the coming days, with preliminary site works to prepare for this already in place.

Deputy project director, Gail Thomson said: “To ensure safety across the whole site during construction there will be changes to both pedestrian and vehicle routes on the site.

“The coming days will see the construction project, one of the biggest in the history of NHS Grampian, get underway. It really is an exciting time for everyone in the north-east who is involved and those who will benefit from this project, particularly patients and families.

“We apologise for any inconvenience these site route changes may cause in the meantime.”

For members of the public driving on the site, the road leading to the Emergency Department, accessible from Foresterhill Road, will become a one-way system. This road will be accessible only to emergency vehicles, public vehicles requiring access to ED or the fracture clinic and delivery vehicles.

Due to the one-way system, access to ED will be via Foresterhill Road or from Ashgrove Road West by using the loop road.

Access to the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital car park will remain unaffected during these works. People are reminded that parking is available in the Lady Helen Parking Centre and where possible patients and visitors are encouraged to use this facility.

For pedestrians, the footpath on the east side of Foresterhill Road, accessible from Westburn Road, will close. The pedestrian footpath on the west side of the road will remain open and a new zebra crossing will be installed.

Gail added: “The Baird Family Hospital and The ANCHOR Centre Project is an exciting initiative delivering two new health facilities on the Foresterhill Health Campus.

“The Baird Family Hospital brings together all maternity, neonatal, reproductive medicine, breast and gynaecology services. It will also house a patient hotel and dedicated teaching and research facilities.”

“The Baird” will be located on the site formerly occupied by the Breast Screening Centre and Foresterhill Health Centre, facing the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and the Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital.

The ANCHOR Centre brings all haematology, oncology and radiotherapy day and outpatient services under one roof. There will also be a dedicated lounge for teenage and young adult patients, an aseptic pharmacy for the production of chemotherapy treatments, and dedicated teaching and research facilities. “The ANCHOR” will connect to the existing Radiotherapy Centre.