Medical centre plans redrafted
REVISED plans have been submitted for a new health centre.
The new state-of-the-art centre is proposed for the Alexandra Park development, off Scotia Road in Tunstall, and would replace the existing outdated facilities at the town's Dunning Street surgery.
Planning consent for the centre was granted in 2006 but the applicant said adjustments to the proposals will offer a better layout, easier access and a garden for staff and patients to enjoy.
The plans outline a two-storey centre that would be home to three GP surgeries, as well as dentistry and community services such as podiatry and district nursing.
The centre would also provide clinics for the treatment of heart disease, diabetes and asthma and host new education and training facilities.
NHS Stoke-on-Trent's chief executive Graham Urwin, below, has welcomed the plans.
He said: "The submission of the application marks the beginning of what we hope will be an exciting new era for healthcare in Tunstall which we know will have major health benefits for the people of the town and the surrounding areas.
"We are delighted that the proposal is of high environmental standards and is also part of the exciting Alexandra Park development.
"We believe the proposal exemplifies true sustainable healthcare in every sense and will play a key role in the social and physical regeneration of the area."
Community leaders were up in arms when the plans were put on hold in December 2006, just months before work was due to start after a shake-up of health services.
The new application has been submitted to Stoke-on-Trent City Council by developer Dransfield Properties on behalf of NHS Stoke-on-Trent.
If the plans are passed, the new centre will form the final regeneration phase of the former Wedgwood factory in the town.
Barnsley-based Dransfield Properties has been working in Tunstall for six years on projects, including Jasper Square, which houses Matalan, Next and Argos, and the first phase of the adjacent Alexandra Park, where Carphone Warehouse is based.
Andrew Malley, the company's retail property director, said: "We are delighted to be continuing our investment in the town centre with this latest phase.
"The scheme will greatly improve access and facilities for patients in the area as well as bringing together many local services under one roof.
"A new health centre of this quality and on this location will also encourage more visitors to the town centre with the prospect of linked shopping trips to the other facilities the town has to offer."
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