White City Health Centre gets green light

Thursday June 4, 2009

Hammersmith & Fulham Council and the borough’s Primary Care Trust have welcomed the Government’s decision to allow a multi-million pound health centre to be built in one of Britain’s poorest neighbourhoods.

Residents in the north of the borough will now benefit from a ground-breaking new £20 million health centre and 70 affordable homes, after the Secretary of State agreed that the scheme can be built.

Jeff Zitron, Chairman of NHS Hammersmith and Fulham, welcomed the decision. He said: “White City residents have been waiting a long time for their new Centre so it’s great news that we can now move ahead. A modern centre will provide more and better services for all local people, and make it easier to tackle health and care needs within the community.”

Plans for the site include a 21st Century super surgery and new housing, including 39 per cent affordable housing. The site will include a state-of-the-art health and social care centre with up to twelve GP rooms, three dental surgeries, two chiropody suites, a day surgery, and district nurse and health visitor rooms. The centre will also provide adult social services, radiology, speech and language services.

Council Leader, Cllr Stephen Greenhalgh. “White City is one of the most deprived areas in Britain, with some of the worst health inequalities in Britain, and we desperately need the new health centre, affordable homes and other community benefits offered by this regeneration scheme.

“I am delighted that the Government has used common sense and agreed that these exciting plans can now proceed.”

A small supermarket, pharmacy and IT café are also planned and the developer – Building Better Health Limited – has also agreed to build 70 low cost homes to buy and will pump more than £1 million into revamping Wormholt Park and transport improvements.

NHSH&F Managing Director, Sarah Whiting, said: “The new centre can’t come a moment too soon, but inevitably building from scratch takes time. So, the PCT and the council want to use the opportunity to try new services and work with residents and professionals to ensure we have got it right by the time the new building opens. This is a real chance for the community to shape the new centre.”

Building work is expected to start later this year with the centre opening its doors in 2012. In the meantime, new services are being introduced into White City in temporary premises on the Canberra School site.