Luton and Dunstable University Hospital has officially celebrated the completion of its £170 million Oak and Cedar Wing development, marking the end of the largest building programme in the history of Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The new facilities, which have already welcomed patients over recent months, provide purpose-built accommodation for maternity, neonatal, adult intensive care and surgical services.
Hospital leaders described the official opening as a landmark moment after more than a decade of planning, consultation and construction.
The project has transformed the hospital site, replacing ageing facilities with modern clinical environments designed to improve care for patients while providing better working conditions for staff.
Among the new facilities are expanded maternity and neonatal units, a larger adult intensive care unit and eight new operating theatres, including two hybrid theatres capable of carrying out specialist procedures such as vascular surgery.
The development also includes a dedicated maternity bereavement suite and garden, birthing pools, individual recovery pods for planned surgery patients and outdoor wellbeing spaces for patients and staff.
Construction followed a series of enabling projects that began in 2020, including a new multi-storey car park, office accommodation and the relocation of outpatient services. Demolition work started in 2021 before contractor Kier began construction in January 2022.
Clinical services moved into the new Oak and Cedar Wings between October 2025 and April 2026.
Cathy Jones, acting chief executive of Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The opening of Oak and Cedar Wing is a landmark moment for our Trust and communities. These facilities provide the highest quality environments for patients, families and our staff, ensuring we can continue delivering exceptional care now and for future generations.
“This achievement truly reflects years of hard work and dedication from countless individuals and organisations who have helped make this vision a reality.”
Martin Staehr, group managing director of Kier Construction, said: “We are incredibly proud to have delivered these outstanding new clinical buildings at Luton & Dunstable University Hospital, creating modern facilities that will support patients, families and NHS teams for years to come.
“Delivering a project of this scale in the heart of a live hospital required exceptional planning, collaboration and care. The NHS is personal to all of us, so to have played a part in giving something back has been a real privilege for our team and supply chain partners.”
As well as the main hospital buildings, the programme delivered wider improvements across the hospital site, including new parking and office accommodation, while the trust said the project also exceeded its social value commitments through apprenticeships, community engagement and charitable initiatives.
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