Ground has broken on a major expansion of one of the largest hospitals in Melbourne’s fast growing outer northern suburbs.

On Sunday, the first sod was turned on stage one of the $813 million Northern Hospital Redevelopment Project in Epping.

Set to be complete in 2029, the project will expand and improve facilities to include almost 200 treatment spaces.

It is being delivered in two stages.

The first stage will create a new four-story Ambulatory Care Centre building (artist impression above).

This will deliver a dedicated space of outpatient and ambulatory services and will become the new home for house administration, clinical and outpatient services.

Once the new building opens next year, stage 2 will deliver a new emergency department and inpatient unit tower that will front Cooper Street.

This will include:

  • a dedicated pediatric zone, mental health and alcohol and other drugs hub in the new emergency department
  • inpatient units and emergency observation units in a new clinical tower; and
  • site infrastructure upgrades supporting the expanding hospital, including engineering services, improvements to hospital entrances and car parks.

The expansion comes as Victoria faces a challenge to deliver healthcare services in the fast growing Melbourne North Growth Corridor, which sits around 32 kilometres north of Melbourne’s CBD.

The corridor is governed by the Hume, Whittlesea and Mitchell councils. It features significant growth town centres such as Donnybrook, Wollert, Beveridge, Mickleham, Wallan, Craigieburn and Sunbury.

According to Infrastructure Australia, the corridor’s population is expected to grow by 70 percent between 2020 and 2031 – at which time it will accommodate 137,000 residents.

Already, Northern Hospital Epping has the busiest emergency department in Victora and treats more than 110,000 patients each year.

The project is being constructed by Kanes Constructions.

Around 2,200 jobs will be created during construction.

 

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