WORK starting on Brighouse’s new health centre could be a year away.
A business plan for the new multi-million pound development – which will be built on Lawson Road, Brighouse – has to be given the go-ahead by Primary Care Trust, NHS Calderdale.
The scheme’s project manager, James Drury, told Brighouse Ward Forum that people were anxious to know when work would start and the building would be ready for use.
But he said until the detailed business plan and finance for the scheme had been approved by the PCT in May, he could not say any more.
Only after the plan had been approved could they find a developer and put a planning application before Calderdale Council.
He said: “I would say we are looking at 12 months before work starts on the site.’’
Under the scheme the current health centre, which is also on Lawson Road, will be demolished.
A temporary base will be found on Lawson Road while the work is ongoing, but some of the services would have to be spread around the town centre, possibly using some empty shops.
The new centre will be owned by whoever develops it and leased to the NHS.
Managers of NHS Calderdale, the Primary Care Trust which organises GPs and other community health workers, said details such as how many rooms were needed and traffic management were still being finalised.
Either the Primary Care Trust or GPs could choose to take on the head lease while the others would sub-lease the space.
The current building is council-owned.
Rastrick councillor Craig Whittaker has previously said that as part of Calderdale Council’s policy on selling buildings not in use or needed by the council, he believed it would be sold and the money reinvested.
