Royal United Hospital ‘Green Heart’

We helped gain approval of hard and soft landscape planning conditions for the development of a new Green Heart at Royal United Hospitals (RUH) Bath.

The Green Heart is a transformative garden for patients, staff, and visitors to the hospital, it is pivotal in the RUH Green Infrastructure Strategy, and intricately linked to the new Dyson Cancer Centre. Our role as Landscape Architects and Ecologists involved close collaboration with the NHS Trust and its stakeholders to prepare a comprehensive Landscape Strategy and detailed designs for the garden. The envisioned features include:

• A central plaza and amphitheatre
• A well-being garden
• A private Cancer Centre garden space

Planting schemes to promote wildlife and biodiversity.

Identified initially within the RUH Green Infrastructure Plan by Nicholas Pearson Associates, the Green Heart emerged as a prime opportunity to revitalise the hospital grounds, acknowledged and embedded in planning policy under the Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) Placemaking Plan.

Strategically positioned at the heart of the hospital, this garden represents the final phase of the ongoing redevelopment programme. Our initial concept for the Green Heart landscape, incorporated into the Cancer Centre planning application, set the principles for the design. Working closely with the NHS Trust, we refined and developed the landscape proposals, receiving approval from B&NES, paving the way for our shared vision to materialise.

Throughout the design process, we prioritised stakeholder engagement, ensuring alignment with diverse user group requirements while integrating care considerations. Our key objectives encompassed:

• Creating an inclusive, accessible space with step-free routes and a user-friendly layout.
• Fostering a connection with nature by promoting biodiversity and interactions with the landscape.
• Establishing a versatile public open space for community events.
• Respecting patient privacy with designated private areas adjacent to the Cancer Centre.
• Crafting a low-maintenance, ecologically sensitive design.
• Incorporating mixed ornamental planting areas adoptable by Trust charitable volunteers.
• Enabling maintenance access and fire safety provisions.

Integrating existing infrastructure and future art installations.

Recognising the potential of the Green Heart to enhance lives, we embraced Universal Design principles. Our meticulous attention to detail, scale, and spatial arrangement ensures a calming and accessible experience, accommodating users with diverse abilities and needs.

The design ethos centred on connecting people with nature is integral to the garden which features native flora, meadows, habitat boxes, and accessible routes throughout. Over 60 new specimen trees define and enrich the space, contributing to climate resilience, stormwater management, and providing natural shade.

Our further support to the Cancer Centre project through condition discharge includes:

• Developing soft landscape proposals for the Cancer Centre main entrance boulevard, two internal courtyard gardens, and car park.
• Preparation of a Landscape and Ecology Management Plan (LEMP).
• Preparation of Wildlife Protection and Enhancement Schemes (WPES) for the Cancer Centre, eastern frontage, and car park zone.

Our partnership with the NHS Trust endures as we work collaboratively to realise the broader Green Infrastructure Plan.

Contact us to discover more about our NHS collaborations or to explore how we can assist in planning and executing green infrastructure initiatives.