The opening of a diagnostic centre that is being built by Kier in Nottinghamshire has been pushed back by four months, after the discovery of higher-than-expected levels of asbestos.
The Mansfield Community Diagnostic Centre, which was due to open at the end of the year, is now expected to be completed next April.
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust confirmed that the delay was due to levels of asbestos at the site of the 1950s-built hospital on which the centre is being built.
The trust also described “unexpected” challenges such as the need to repair part of a concrete floor.
James Thomas, clinical lead for the project at the trust, said issues were commonly uncovered during the construction phase of this kind of scheme and that the presence of asbestos had been addressed.
“With any large-scale project, particularly when it involves the refurbishment of an old building such as this, there are often unforeseen challenges that only become clear once construction work is underway,” he said.
“We’ve worked together with Kier to overcome these, and look forward to delivering Nottinghamshire’s first purpose-built diagnostic centre that meets the very latest modern quality standards.”
Kier was awarded the £8.3m construction contract for the facility in November 2022. It is to be built on the site of the former Victoria Hospital on Stockwell Gate, which once served as a workhouse.
When completed, the centre will be a one-stop shop for patients across Nottinghamshire to access health checks and tests, thereby reducing referral times and speeding up diagnoses.
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust approved revised plans for the facility last September. The centre will now have a single storey rather than two storeys, to cut construction costs, with planned floorspace reduced by around a quarter.
Demolition of the former hospital by Nottingham-based Total Reclaims Demolition was completed last August.
The structure of the building is now complete, the trust said, with work underway on its exterior to make it weather-tight, in readiness for fitting-out.
Kier has been approached for comment.