Public exhibition to showcase Claires Court and private hospital plans

The organisation looking to build a private hospital as part of a major redevelopment of Claires Court has been revealed ahead of a public consultation on the proposals.

The Institute of Medicine & Surgery, Berkshire (IMSB) has partnered with the independent school as part of its plans to build a new campus at its Junior Boys site off Cannon Lane.

The team behind IMSB will look to build an acute hospital to serve both private and NHS patients on land at the same site to help fund the multi-million pound project, which would see Claires Court relocate all of its pupils to the new campus.

The school has also revealed Berkeley Homes (Western) Limited, part of the Berkeley Group, as its partner to redevelop its College Avenue and Ray Mill Road East sites if the relocation goes ahead.

The developer is proposing to build a high-quality bespoke residential scheme made up of 64 houses, including affordable homes.

Claires Court administrative principal Hugh Wilding said: "We are delighted to have formed a partnership with two such well respected organisations.

"This exciting project will bring a wide range of benefits to the school, parents, staff and the wider community in Maidenhead and beyond by providing much needed new school places, the best educational facilities, a state-of-the-art acute hospital and new family homes."

The new hospital, which would be built on a 10-acre site and create 400 new jobs, would be a sister hospital to the Kent Institute of Medicine and Surgery (KIMS) in Maidstone, which was opened by the Duke of Gloucester last month.

The new facility would offer state-of-the-art and complex medical services, including cardiology, cardio-thoracic surgery, neuro-surgery, surgical oncology and complex orthopaedics.

• The first public exhibition of the proposals will take place at the High Street Methodist Church in King Street from 1pm-7.30pm on Wednesday, May 14, before heading to the Thames Hotel, in Ray Mead Road, from 1pm-7.30pm on Thursday, May 15. It will then be at Cox Green Community Centre in Highfield Road on Friday, May 16 from 4pm-8pm and Saturday, May 17 from 10am-4pm.