News reports on Moorfields’ relocation project

Following a news report published in The Daily Telegraph today (21 March), Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, our research partner would like to clarify a number of details in response to this story.

Julian Nettel, interim chief executive of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and its research partner UCL Institute of Ophthalmology are working together to improve patient experience by exploring a move from our present outdated buildings on City Road to a preferred site in the Kings Cross/Euston/St Pancras area by 2023. This new, co-located facility will enable clinicians and researchers to collaborate more freely, to the benefit of Moorfields’ patients and for people with sight problems around the world, now and in the future.

"We hope this exciting, long-running development project will continue to move forward over the next few months. We will not be going to market until we have had approvals from our NHS and university partners and we will work with a property development partner to secure final planning permission on the current site".

Discussions are progressing with the preferred site’s present owners to secure a location that will enable the construction of a new, state-of-the-art building which will house a world leading ophthalmic clinical, research and educational facility.

Moorfields and the Institute has been, and continues to, liaise with local residents, patients and other stakeholder groups, and the planning authorities on this project. More details will be announced in the coming months as the project progresses.

For more information please contact the Project Oriel team at jane.callard@moorfields.nhs.uk

For media enquiries please call 07711767542 or email press.office@moorfields.nhs.uk