The A$350m ($225.8m) Canterbury Hospital redevelopment project in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, has made a progress with the first planning application being lodged.

The redevelopment project represents the largest upgrade to the hospital in more than 26 years.

This project aims to meet the current and future healthcare needs of the growing community through expanded services and facilities across the hospital campus.

The redevelopment project will include a new multi-storey building that will accommodate surgical and outpatient services, adult inpatient accommodation, a new intensive care unit, and an expanded emergency department.

The project will also feature enhanced and expanded antenatal facilities and additional ambulatory and outpatient care capacity.

A new diagnostic services unit will support diagnosis and medical condition management. There are also planned enhancements to hospital support services, including pharmacy and pathology.

Early works will focus on refurbishing and expanding existing antenatal facilities, improving access to enhanced care spaces for families in Canterbury.

The site will also be prepared for undertaking main construction works, which are scheduled to begin next year, pending planning approval.

New and enhanced facilities are expected to support research, clinical education, and workforce training.

The Canterbury Hospital redevelopment is being carried out by Health Infrastructure in collaboration with Sydney Local Health District.

Meanwhile, the planning documents for the early works is now put up for public exhibition and community feedback on the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) for these early works is open until 18 December.

 The community will be informed as the project advances, with additional consultations scheduled for next year. A separate planning application to facilitate the main works construction is anticipated to be exhibited in early to mid-2026.

NSW health minister Ryan Park said: “The public exhibition of planning documents for the early works marks an exciting milestone for the delivery of the Canterbury Hospital Redevelopment. This next step demonstrates the NSW government's commitment to delivering modern, high-quality healthcare facilities for the Canterbury community.”

Earlier this month, the regional government announced the completion of the A$110.2m ($71.9m) Cowra Hospital Redevelopment.