Doncaster Council released a statement on Thursday after hearing that they would not receive government funding for a new health facility on a site identified as suitable for development, the derelict Waterfront area near the River Don and Doncaster College campus.

Doncaster Royal Infirmary, built in the 1930s with 1960s additions, has a capacity of around half the patients it currently treats daily.

The statement read: “Since the summer of 2019, Doncaster Council and the NHS Trust have been working on proposals to redevelop the Doncaster Waterfront area adjacent to Doncaster College, which offered significant opportunity for redevelopment and regeneration as being one of the largest brownfield sites in the country.”

Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones said: “I am immensely disappointed that our Doncaster bid for a new hospital has been turned down by government. Our bid was incredibly strong, highlighting the far-reaching benefits for health and medical provision that a state-of-the-art new hospital would bring as well as social and economic benefits for the people of our city and the region.

“We are in urgent need of a new hospital for Doncaster that would support us to Level Up and I will continue to lobby this government to deliver a new hospital for Doncaster.”

Richard Parker OBE, chief executive of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, said: "I am very disappointed that the Trust’s business case for the development of a new hospital in Doncaster has not been included in the Government’s New Hospital Programme.”

“Our focus now, and that of our health and social care partners and local leaders, will now need to shift towards ensuring that Doncaster Royal Infirmary is fit for the future, as well as seeking clarity to understand what additional funding avenues and opportunities are available to us.”

The existing hospital within the city, Doncaster Royal Infirmary, was initially built in the 1930s, with further development and expansion in the 1960s and 1980s and was expected to deal with around 200 patients at any one time. Since that time Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has outgrown the site and its related infrastructure, routinely caring for around 400 patients every day.

Due to the hospital’s age, there are around 600 outstanding maintenance jobs across DRI’s numerous buildings, with an estimated value of £118million.

The estimated cost of a new hospital in the city would be around £1.37 billion, the site has been identified and is shovel-ready and the build would begin at pace, taking around five years to complete.

Government confirm they will not fund new hospital to replace ageing Doncaster Royal Infirmary's 1930s site