Sheffield Council votes on new world-class centre for child health research at Olympic Legacy Park
CGI image courtesy of Sheffield City Council
The creation of a world-class children’s health research and technology centre at the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park could move a step closer to becoming reality if Sheffield City Council approves an agreement for a lease of the proposed Council owned site.
Members of the Finance Policy Committee were due to vote last week on the recommendation of an agreement between the Council and Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, so land at the park can be transformed into the National Centre for Child Health Technology (NCCHT).
Should the agreement for a lease be approved by members of the committee, the new centre will help create a healthier future for children and young people through innovation, technology and outstanding care.
It will have all the dedicated spaces and facilities needed to design, create and test new child health technologies. This will include a state-of-the-art gait and motion laboratory including a Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN), and a Creative Manufacturing Zone with 3D printing, robotics, laser cutting and other technology tools to develop prototypes. There will also be an Intelligent Home and Intelligent Ward which will create simulated real-life environments for testing technologies.
Cllr Zahira Naz, chair of the Finance Policy Committee, said:
“This is a crucial step in the process of bringing the National Centre for Child Health Technology to life. Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust is one of three dedicated children’s hospital trusts in the UK and this National Centre will take their work to the next level.
“The new Centre also forms a crucial part of our regeneration of Attercliffe, alongside the Waterside project which will see around 1,000 new homes built, and the transformation of the former Adelphi Cinema and it builds on the success we’ve already seen at the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park.”
Sheffield City Council successfully applied for £9 million from the Government’s Local Government Fund to help Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust with the project with a further £6 million grant coming from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and £2 million from The Children’s Hospital Charity.
John Williams, Deputy Chief Executive of Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It’s great to be working in partnership with the Council on this inspiring project that will help create a healthier future for children and young people locally, regionally and nationally. The Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is a really unique space that we hope will be a fantastic home to progress innovation and technology in children’s healthcare.”
Welcome to Sheffield describes the ambitions for the Olympic Legacy Park:
'Sheffield is the only city in the world with an Olympic Legacy Park that has not hosted the Olympics, and yet it is the physical embodiment of the transformation of the city. The park is delivering a tangible legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games through a combination of world class sports facilities, education, new skills, research and innovation, environmental improvements and opportunities for the local community.
'Built on an old brownfield industrial site, it is now home to Sheffield Hallam University's 'Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre', a University Technical College, state of the art training and physical performance centres, and the chosen destination for the world's first ever Centre for Child Health Technology.
'What this all means is that health meets innovation; investment meets outcomes; and education and research meet digital and tech. Public, private and not-for-profit organisations can plan, research, innovate and produce at rapid pace with superior technology, making this a place truly worthy of carrying the heritage of London's 2012 Olympics.
'The Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is the catalyst for the economic regeneration of the Lower Don Valley, bringing investment and relocation opportunities to a deprived area of the city with a strong industrial and manufacturing history.
It now represents the beginning of Sheffield's Innovation District, which stretches all the way down this geographical corridor to the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, which is home to McLaren and produces some of the world's most advanced light-weighting facilities.
'However, there is still a strong presence of place, community and neighbourhood here. The regeneration story is about more than facilities and property, which is why the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park is home to one of the city's Junior Park Runs as well as The English Institute of Sport where numerous GB athletes train, alongside local teams and groups, giving the local area access to not just jobs but healthier lives and wider opportunities.'
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