New lifesaving MRI unit lined up for King's Mill Hospital -- Ashfield planning applications

The scheme is among the latest batch of planning applications submitted to Ashfield District Council, which also include a project to demolish two sets of sports changing rooms in Sutton.

If approval is given, the hospital will get a new, two-storey MRI unit treatment centre to be built for the pathology department on a car park at the site.

It would house three scanner rooms, three control rooms, three tech rooms, wards, staff and administration offices, receptions, waiting areas, toilets and changing rooms.

The council has been asked to grant planning permission in an application by Mark Jackson, the acting associate director of estates and facilities at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which oversees the Mansfield Road hospital.

A planning statement from the trust's agents, CPMG Architects, of Nottingham, says: “There is an existing MRI scanner suite located in a building at the hospital, but it has reached the end of its life.

"All other MRI facilities on site are temporary, so there is a requirement for an additional MRI unit. This scheme would replace current facilities and bring them together under one roof.

"The unit would have a separate entrance but would be connected to the main hospital through a new corridor link, providing access for patients and staff.”

Pathology is a branch of medical science that is focused on the study and diagnosis of disease. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is a scan that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body and can detect cancers.

Detailed drawings have already been produced for the project, while the trust has hired the construction consultancy Selcon, based at Somercotes, for expert advice.

According to Selcon, the unit would cost £10.5 million and encompass 1,200 square metres. It would take an estimated 50 weeks to build.

A spokesperson for Selcon said: “This reflects a substantial investment in the healthcare infrastructure to improve patient services and care.”

The council’s planning officers are considering the scheme and hope to make a decision or recommendation soon.

Meanwhile, the proposed demolition of changing rooms is at the recreation grounds of Hill Crescent in Sutton and Stamper Crescent in Skegby.

The application has been lodged by the council itself, which says the buildings are now disused, possibly unsafe and have become magnets for anti-social behaviour.

The plan is to knock them down in a controlled manner, with the rubble separated and recycled where possible to minimise the amount of waste going to landfill. The areas will then be reinstated with grass.

Other planning applications received by Ashfield Council include these:

Back car park, Ashfield District Council headquarters, Urban Road, Kirkby – plan by National Grid to install overhead electricity lines, defined as a nationally significant infrastructure project.

Land off Ashland Road West, Sutton – cycle path and footway for safe crossing.

Halfmoon Farm, Kingsway, Kirkby – construction of single garage for vehicle and plant use.

Cauldwell House, Cauldwell Road, Mansfield – approval of layout, scale, landscaping and appearance as part of plan already given outline approval.

Mansfield Road, Sutton – installation of 20-metre monopole, six antennae, two dishes and two cabinets.