Welsh Government Paying £28m For New Hospital Roof

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has confirmed it will pay almost £28m to re-roof the Princess of Wales hospital in Bridgend.

A critical incident was declared at the Princess of Wales hospital in October 2024, when an investigation found the 10,000m² roof could collapse.

The design of the 40-year-old roof had inadequate ventilation and allowed driving rain to become trapped beneath the concrete tiles, rotting the battens. Water leaked on to patients in the wards below, triggering the closure of wards.

“There was no structural separation between the tiles and the patients in the beds down below, so it was pretty serious,” architect Jeoff Houlker, told the BBC.

Services, theatres and wards at the Bridgend hospital were relocated elsewhere in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board.

Former Health board chief executive Paul Mears was criticised for neglecting maintenance of the roof, which had blocked gutters with vegetation growing out of them.

£28m For New Hospital Roof

Now the £27.9m re-roofing work is underway and the first phase is complete, allowing maternity services to reopen in Bridgend. The first phase included rooftop solar installations which will generate half the hospital’s energy.

The rest of the hospital’s roof has two temporary roofs installed while the roofs are replaced, which are expected to be finished by August 2025.

>> Read about more roof refurbishments in the news