6:05pm Wednesday 3rd February 2010
WORK has begun on creating a new health centre in a Yorkshire Dales town.
Doctors have been liaising with architects to finalise the design of the new facility in Sedbergh.
Efforts are also continuing to secure funding for the scheme.
The proposed centre is needed to replace the current health centre, in Loftus Hill, which is widely accepted to be no longer fit for purpose with cramped layout and outdated heating and fire alarm systems.
“In the new centre we will be able to offer more clinics in specialist areas making life easier for those who currently have to travel to access those services in Kendal, Lancaster or even further afield,” said Dr Chrissie Hunt, GP partner in Sedbergh.
Convenience store company Spar is involved with the development, and a shop will be included in the build.
Surveyors and engineers have been inspecting trees and boring holes in recent weeks to prepare a final scheme to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s planning committee to remove conditions It is hoped that clearance work will begin soon with construction due to start in the spring and the centre opening by spring next year.
Dr William Lumb, said: “It is testament to the grit and tenacity of local people that the centre is finally under way.
“Without their support we may not have seen the start of a public eyesore turning into a fantastic health facility which promises to be a model of good practice for the region.”
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