Helipad

Preston, Lancashire

Client: Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Value: £875K

FWP Ltd is proud to have delivered the replacement helipad for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, completed in September 2025 at a value of £875,000. The project was funded by a generous donation from the HELP Appeal – County Air Ambulance Trust, the UK’s only charity dedicated to financing helipads for NHS hospitals. The former helipad no longer met current aviation guidance and restricted the types of aircraft able to land. FWP provided full multidisciplinary services, including architecture, project management, M&E engineering, building surveying, quantity surveying and CDM, designing a brand-new 22m x 22m concrete helipad equipped with airport-standard lighting, safety barriers, improved drainage and a new footpath to enhance staff access.

The works were completed within a demanding eight-week programme. Helicopter flights were temporarily rerouted to Fulwood Barracks and other hospital sites, allowing critical services to continue uninterrupted while construction took place. A key challenge emerged when rapid-cure concrete released gases that affected the paint finish, but by swiftly adjusting the specification FWP ensured a safe, durable surface that met aviation requirements and kept the project on schedule.

The helipad has now been formally signed off by Greendeck, Babcock and the North West Air Ambulance, and is already in use, enabling faster patient transfers and improving access to life-saving care across the region. FWP is proud to have led the delivery of this vital asset for the Trust and the communities it serves.