Derelict Victorian hospital buildings in Sutton will be demolished to make way for the next stage of a world-leading cancer research centre.

A planning application to knock down buildings off Cotswold Road was approved by Sutton Council last week.

The plans received 22 public objections and one supporting comment.

The Belmont and South Cheam Residents Association called on the council to refuse the demolition saying: “Failure to protect these buildings would mean the loss of these rare and unique Victorian buildings and would be a poor reflection on the site’s past glory and future potential”.

The London and Middlesex Archaeological Society also objected to the demolition which called for the Victorian buildings to be included in future plans.

It said incorporating the buildings into redevelopment plans would be aligned with the council’s own environment strategy.

The derelict former Sutton Hospital buildings will be cleared to make way for modern facilities forming part of the new world-leading campus for cancer research and treatment. 

The clearance work is expected to start in April and complete in the autumn.

The London Cancer Hub is already home to The Institute of Cancer Research, London and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and regeneration of the rest of the site is expected to create 13,000 jobs in construction, health, science and education.

The site started life as a school in the late 1800s later becoming The Downs Hospital for Children, which had a capacity of 360 beds by 1938.

The site was home to the Sutton and Cheam District Hospital and in 1959 the former children’s hospital reopened as the Cotswold Wing.

After a reorganisation of the NHS, the hospital came under the Sutton and West Merton health authority in 1974.

More recently, the buildings were used by the Royal Marsden and the Institute of Cancer Research until the late 90s but were since abandoned by the NHS.

Sutton Council leader, Councillor Ruth Dombey, said: “To become a world-leading life sciences campus, The London Cancer Hub needs world-leading facilities. The site has a long, proud history of caring for our community, first as the Downs School for Girls and later as Sutton Hospital.

“Now we are making room for world-class facilities that will help accelerate all The London Cancer Hub partners’ work treating and curing cancer, discovering new drugs and saving lives.”