UHS Main Entrance and Retail Area

• Commercial
• 2774 Sqm

UHS Main Entrance and Retail Area

The redevelopment of the Main Entrance and Retail Area (MERA) is the first project to be delivered through the Commercial Estates Development Partnership (CEDP) between Interserve Prime and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS).

The original entrance and retail concourse at UHS was built in the 1980s, when the hospital served a much smaller patient population. Now almost 10,000 patients, visitors and staff arrive at the hospital every weekday. The existing entrance area provided limited space for people to comfortably stop and wait and there was also a need for a more diverse retail offering.

Without capital available to finance the redevelopment plans, UHS needed to secure private investment, renegotiate existing tenancies, attract new retailers to improve quality and choice, and generate a financial return for both the Trust and investors who would finance the project.

By combining public and private sector expertise, the CEDP has provided the investment, development and construction experience to realise the Trust’s ambition to deliver a welcoming and functional space that reflects its reputation for excellence and enhances the patient experience.

Once completed, the £2.5m scheme will provide a modern facility that better serves the needs of the thousands of patients, staff and visitors who pass through the front doors each day, while generating an income for the Trust that can be reinvested in frontline patient services.