Scottish Government Rejects £2bn Monklands Hospital Replacement Plan
The Scottish government has declined plans to replace Monklands Hospital in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, with a new facility estimated to cost £2 billion.
The proposed replacement hospital was planned to be constructed on farmland at Wester Moffat. However, Health Secretary Angela Constance stated that the proposal did not represent value for money and has instructed a "comprehensive redesign" of the plans.
The revised proposals are expected to be submitted to the Scottish government next year, potentially delaying the hospital's targeted opening date of 2031.
A replacement for Monklands Hospital was included as a commitment in the Scottish National Party's (SNP) 2026 election manifesto.
NHS Lanarkshire described the new hospital as a "revolutionary blueprint" for healthcare in the region after approving a business case in December.
New Hospital Plan for Lanarkshire to Go Before Ministers
All new NHS building projects in Scotland are currently on hold.
The plans were submitted to the Scottish government for consideration in December. The new hospital would have consolidated specialist services from across Lanarkshire—including cancer care, renal medicine, urology services, and ear, nose, and throat surgery—into a single facility.
The proposals also included converting the existing Monklands site into a "healthcare village."
However, the Scottish government indicated that the proposed design "would not deliver value for money for the public purse."
In a statement, Health Secretary Angela Constance said the £2.1 billion expenditure was "significantly more expensive than comparable programmes" and would "represent an unprecedented concentration of capital investment in a single health project." She noted that the total cost would amount to approximately £5 million per bed.
"I recognise this will be disappointing for staff and communities who have been engaging patiently for a number of years in the development of plans. This is not a decision I have taken lightly – we are fully committed to building a new hospital at Monklands. However, it is also my responsibility to ensure that major investment decisions are affordable, deliverable, and aligned with the future direction of our health and care system."
'Bitterly Disappointing'
Constance added that "targeted investment" would be directed to the current Monklands facility to help address existing pressures while new design work is undertaken.
Labour's health spokeswoman, Jackie Baillie, described the decision as "bitterly disappointing" for the local community.
"It has taken the SNP just seven weeks to start ditching manifesto promises. At best, the SNP was economical with the truth and made promises they had no budget to deliver. The SNP needs to start being honest with the public and set out clear timescales for delivering this badly needed hospital."
