Proton Partners International has received planning permission to build a £35m cancer treatment centre in Liverpool (Insider Media, 2017).

The proposed centre is earmarked for a site in the new £1bn Paddington Village scheme, part of Knowledge Quarter Liverpool. The Liverpool oncology centre, which will be known as the Rutherford Cancer Centre North West, aims to provide an all encompassing cancer service for patients, offering proton beam therapy, as well as chemotherapy, traditional radiotherapy and imaging. It is expected that conventional treatments will be available in 2018 and proton beam therapy in 2019.

Mike Moran, chief executive of Proton Partners International, said “This marks the next step in our mission to make the best cancer technology accessible to patients across the UK and I’m proud that our next centre will be in my home town of Liverpool. Knowledge Quarter Liverpool is a really exciting project to be involved with. It’s already proving to be a world-class destination for business, science and innovation, which sits right at the core of our values as a company. By building centres across the country we hope to transform the level of cancer treatment available to patients and therefore receiving planning permission is a key milestone for us. Not only will our centre bring an innovative industry to Liverpool, but it will also bring skilled job opportunities that will play a key role in boosting the local economy.”

Proton Partners International is also building a genomics research centre at the Life Sciences Accelerator building in Liverpool, which will be the first part of a health campus set to surround the £335m new Royal Liverpool Hospital. The genomics programme will support Proton Partners International’s broader research work with the University of Liverpool’s physics department.

Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson said “This planning permission is great news for Proton Partners, Paddington Village and KQ Liverpool and we look forward to seeing the building take shape. KQ Liverpool is gaining real momentum now and, as a world-leader in medical and life sciences research, is fast becoming a major catalyst in the city’s economy.”