Armac Group complete Norton Court demolition project

Outdated Birmingham hospital successfully removed as part of multi-million-pound redevelopment

DEMOLITION operators Armac Group – in partnership with building contractors Tilbury Douglas – have successfully completed a project to dismantle Norton Court at Birmingham Women’s Hospital, paving the way for a major redevelopment of the site.

Built in 1968, when it was known as Birmingham Maternity Hospital, the Norton Court block was developed to provide residential accommodation for doctors and nurses. Since then, the facility has been used for other services which have included neonatal parent accommodation, medical engineering, and clinical genetics.

However, over time it became clear the building was well beyond its operational life and not suitable for providing the space and facilities required in modern healthcare. Norton Court also became increasingly outdated, unsightly, and very costly to run.

Forming a partnership and working collaboratively with Tilbury Douglas during the Covid pandemic were key to the successful demolition of Norton Court for Armac. In addition, bringing their waste-management and demolition expertise on the project meant important measures were put in place to reduce the impact of noise, dust, and disruption on the live hospital site.

The hospital redevelopment will also see Birmingham Children’s Hospital completely revamped, with works due for completion later this year.

Sarah-Jane Marsh, chief executive of Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘While Norton Court is an integral part of the Women’s Hospital’s history, it was outdated, impractical and the opposite of what women, men and families expect from a specialist hospital.

‘The demolition of Norton Court marks another positive step forward in our Big Build ambition to provide world-class facilities that our women, children, young people and families truly deserve and that we can be proud of as a trust, city and region.’