PFI protest casts shadow on Liverpool hospital plans

Architects hoping to win work on a major hospital project are waiting to learn if it will be held up by a campaign group opposed to PFI.

The procurement method is being used to fund the £450 million redevelopment of the Royal Liverpool Hospital in the Kensington area of the city.

Those in the running to design the scheme — for Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust — include John Cooper Architecture, Sheppard Robson, BDP and NBBJ.

Lawyers for Sam Semoff of Keep Our NHS Public wrote to the Department of Health at the end of last month informing it of a proposed claim for judicial review to look into the business case of the new hospital and whether PFI offers better value-for-money than a traditional procurement route.

Semoff launched a similar claim last year because the trust did not mention the use of PFI funding

in its initial consultation, but dropped it after the trust agreed to extend its consultation process.

The DoH said it had responded to Semoff’s letter this week but declined to comment further.

Semoff’s lawyer, Leigh Day, said a review would begin with an application for permission in the High Court to challenge the health secretary’s decision to use PFI.

A spokeswoman for the Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We are dealing with this potential challenge but from our perspective it is business as usual.”

This week, three bidders were expected to be chosen for the next stage of the scheme, which is due to announce a preferred bidder next June with financial close by the end of 2011.

The hospital was only given the green light four weeks ago after months of uncertainty caused by the general election and fears the new government would scrap it.

This week a team featuring Aedas and Brookfield was dropped from the running for the project – leaving three teams left.

BDP/Balfour Beatty, NBBJ/Carillion and John Cooper Architecture/Shepherd Robson/FCC are all still chasing the deal. Another team is expected to be dropped later this year leaving two to fight it out for preferred bidder next summer.