|
| |
Heckmondwike Primary Care Centre |
|
 |
Another significant piece in the jigsaw of the multi-million pound regeneration and revival programme of Heckmondwike town centre has been completed with the sale of land by Kirklees Council to enable the building of a new primary care centre.
The project centres on an under-used part of Firth Park in the centre of Heckmondwike. It will see a £4.5m investment, including a purpose built primary care centre, new car parking for the park visitors and a replacement park maintenance building.
Apollo Capital Projects is a specialist health care developer based in Leeds. It is doing the project in partnership with the council, two local general practitioner (GP) practices and NHS Kirklees. It was appointed to do the scheme in 2005, initially by the Brookroyd House practice and latterly by the Undercliffe Surgery.
The three storey primary care centre will be the new home for Brookroyd House and the Undercliffe Surgery. Together they will offer the services of 10 family doctors with associated nursing staff serving a combined patient list of 20,000 people. The building will be 1,800 square metres and will have 55 parking spaces.
Each practice will have a dedicated floor of the new building with shared staff facilities on the second floor. In addition there will be a pharmacy of 125 square metres.
The building will feature many energy saving initiatives, including an air source heat pump which will help reduce the energy demands of the building.
The project includes a new 45 space car park for the park users and visitors, as well as replacement and improved facilities for the park’s maintenance team.
Apollo has bought the site for the new centre from the council and will keep the completed new centre within its existing property portfolio. Kirklees will own the park car parking and new park maintenance facilities.
Cllr Ken Sims, Kirklees Council's Cabinet member for regeneration, said: "The new primary care centre is not only a welcome and much needed facility for local people, it is a key element of our overall programme to transform, regenerate and revive the centre of Heckmondwike.
"The regeneration of Heckmondwike is a major element in the wider strategic framework for North Kirklees as a whole. A lot of work has already been carried out and more is planned.
“Completion of the land sale for the primary care centre , which needed the council to get Charity Commission approval for the release of the land, follows on from the recent public consultations on another significant part of the programme in relation to the near £6m plan for a new library and information centre and bus facility.
"The whole regeneration programme is a good example of a successful partnership effort involving local people, local organisations, the private sector, other public bodies and agencies - all pulling together in the same direction for the good of the town and local area.
“There has been a range of different projects to boost the town, including a grants scheme to improve shop fronts, massive investment in roads and pavements, improved conditions for pedestrians and shoppers, investment in streetscape and environmental works, seating, public space and park improvements. A new children's play area is also being provided."
Dr. Jim Lee , lead partner of Undercliffe surgery said “ The whole practice team is looking forward to the move which will allow us to continue to improve the services we provide to our patients in modern and accessible premises.”
John Pickford , the practice manager for Brookroyd House commented that all good things come to those who wait and this development will certainly improve the quality of care to all patients of Heckmondwike and surrounding areas.
“It will be a centre of excellence for primary care and I congratulate the Council, NHS Kirklees and Apollo for working together on this exciting new development.”
David Henwood, Head of Estates at NHS Kirklees said: “We are committed to investing in high quality healthcare and raising the standard and quality of treatment for people in Kirklees.
“The opening of the new health centre in Heckmondwike will mean local people have modern environments in which to receive family doctor services, community and specialist nursing as well as other primary care services. Furthermore, the new facility will mean local communities receive care closer to where they live.
“The new health centre will be a key building in a prominent position and will set the scene for healthcare for the next century and completes the premises development project for North Kirklees.”
Richard Drew, Development Director of Apollo and project lead said " It's fantastic news for the town and we are grateful for the support of the Council, NHS Kirklees and both GP practices. The new building will be a
tremendous facility for the community which I'm sure we will all be proud of."
This scheme will be completed by the summer of next year, offering major improvements to health care facilities for the locality, and improving access and parking for all the users and visitors to Algernon Firth Park.
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
 |
|
