Maggie's has unveiled its first designs of a new £5m cancer support centre that could be built at Southampton General Hospital

Charity Maggie’s has bid for planning permission for the £5m hub which would be based at Southampton General Hospital, offering a range of practical and emotional support for cancer sufferers and their families.

As reported by the Daily Echo, Maggie’s announced the plans last year and have now put together detailed designs with architecture partners AL_A which go before city council planners for approval.

If given the green light, the centre will be built close to the hospital’s oncology unit and come equipped with large green spaces to enrich the environment.

Among the services it will offer psychological support, benefits advice, nutrition workshops, relaxation and stress management, art therapy, tai chi and yoga.

And it will compliment similar support services already being run on site by charity Macmillan.

Laura Lee, chief executive of Maggie’s said: “We’re delighted to be working with the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and Amanda Levete to bring a Maggie’s Centre to Southampton.

“Maggie’s is here for anyone and everyone affected by cancer. A cancer diagnosis and treatment is a hugely challenging experience, which brings with it tough questions and difficult emotions ranging from anxiety to feelings of isolation and loneliness.

"Applying for planning permission to build a Maggie’s Centre in Southampton brings us a step closer to supporting the physical and emotional wellbeing of people with cancer in Southampton and the surrounding areas.”

Fiona Dalton, Chief Executive of University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, pictured below, said: “The emotional and practical impact of a cancer diagnosis is devastating and we’re committed to providing the highest standards of care for our patients.

"The new Maggie’s Centre in Southampton will provide cancer support of the highest quality which will complement the excellent clinical care that the hospital already provides.

"We look forward to being able to make a huge difference to all our patients and their families.”

There will be around six staff on the payroll, including a head of centre and psychologist, plus an army of volunteers supporting their work.

Centres are designed around comfort to put users at ease and there is no reception desk or offices to ensure people feel equal when they walk in.

Amanda Levete of AL_A added: “It’s a wonderful privilege to design a Maggie’s Centre and to be involved in a project that will help so many in the South of England.

"I wanted to create a place that is warm, welcoming and full of light, one that dissolves the boundaries between building and garden. It will be a sanctuary where people feel safe and valued, lifting the spirits of all who enter.”

Instead, a kitchen table is always the focus of the centre so service users can come in and make a cup of tea and interact with staff, volunteers and other patients as much as they are happy to.

On average, Maggie’s centres deal with around 80 people per day but some have welcomed up to 140.

If the plans go ahead without delay the centre will open in 2017.