James Paget’s new hospital outline plans revealed

24th December 2025

JPUH’s plans for “Future Paget” are now publicly available.

The James Paget, in Gorleston, has submitted a hybrid planning application with illustrative masterplan to Great Yarmouth Borough Council for a new hospital covering c.99,000m2 and featuring around 600 inpatient beds.

JPUH, alongside the QEH, are in a group of hospitals that require replacement due to being constructed primarily using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) and have been prioritised in the national New Hospital Programme because of this.

The James Paget’s “hybrid” planning application seeks full planning approval for the initial enabling works, including a multi-storey car park and construction of access roads, as well as outline planning for the new hospital main building that replaces the current hospital, which will be demolished.

The hospital’s application is available on Great Yarmouth Borough Council’s planning portal.

Positioning the new James Paget on hospital-owned land to the west of the current hospital, the illustrative design envisages a hospital ranging between three and eight storeys in height, with higher elements of the building stepped back into the centre of the site to minimise visual impact on surrounding neighbourhoods. The landscaping plan will seek to further improve visual impact and add to the healing environment aiming to be created as part of this major new community asset.

The outline plan for the new hospital shows a building up to 10 storeys in height in some places to create flexibility to meet the national New Hospital Programme construction requirements from central government. If the application is approved, James Paget will produce a reserved matters application which focuses on finalising the details of the plan.

The new hospital will be larger than the existing hospital, including all wards having single en-suite bedrooms in line with international standards of best care. Clinical spaces will be designed to modern standards, and corridors and public areas will be wide and generous to support patient access, safety, wellbeing and inclusivity.

The future vision for the new hospital estate retains many of the buildings on the existing site that are not affected by RAAC – such as the award-winning Concept Ward and Community Diagnostic Centres - and incorporates their use in planning for a new hospital campus.

The James Paget revealed its plans for the Future Paget earlier in 2025, and asked local residents, communities, patients and staff to comment on the vision for the new hospital.

Feedback was received regarding the construction period and its impact on surrounding houses, the height, scale and position of the new hospital, the location of the proposed new entrance to the site, and how traffic and access will be managed in the new site layout. A comprehensive report on all feedback received is available on the James Paget’s website.

Jo Segasby, Group Chief Delivery Officer, said: “Submitting a planning application for the James Paget’s new hospital is a significant step forward for Norfolk and Waveney’s new hospital programme, which will deliver two state-of-the-art facilities in Great Yarmouth, and for The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn.

“The James Paget team have listened to the feedback from staff and patients, and local residents living close to the site, to understand their concerns and ideas regarding the new hospital. The proposed design is ambitious and makes the best use of the space available to deliver a new hospital for communities on the east coast, and we look forward to working closely with local people as we refine the design throughout the next stages of planning.”

Alongside the submission of planning application, JPUH has the Strategic Outline Case for its hospital conditionally approved by the national New Hospital Programme Investment Committee, and reviewed by the National Capital Advisory Team, and is working closely with The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn as a single programme that will ensure consistency in clinical design and service planning across the Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group.