Updated plans unveiled for the multi-million pound development of Belper health services
Revised plans for a nearly-£10 million pound investment in Belper’s community health services can now be unveiled.
Brand new state-of-the-art health facilities are to be built on the site of the current Belper Clinic, on part of the Babington Hospital site on Derby Road, instead of moving services to the town’s Derwent Street.
Health bosses have developed the revised plans and allocated an additional £4 million to be spent on the NHS facilities, in addition to the already announced £5.94 million, to offer more space to accommodate a growing range of community health services under one roof and more parking space.
The revised scheme honours all the promises made to local people in the engagement process of 2018 to develop services fit for the 21st century in a sustainable way and in line with the ambitions set out in Joined Up Care Derbyshire to replace out-dated facilities at Babington Hospital.
William Jones, chief operating officer for Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, who has led the Belper health redevelopment project, said: “We are very excited to be able to share these updated plans and architect’s drawings for transforming health facilities for patients in Belper.
“We have deliberated long and hard about how best to deliver the future-proofed facilities which local people deserve. In the end, a combination of factors opened the way for total redevelopment of the Belper Clinic site and swung the balance away from pursuing the Derwent Street site where we were facing various challenges, such as trying to squeeze a growing list of newly commissioned services into the constrictions of the site.”
In the past two years there have been several newly commissioned community-based health services which need accommodating locally, including wound care clinics, musculoskeletal assessment and treatment services and community midwifery. The Belper Clinic site development will generate 2,900 square metres of space compared with 1,540 square metres maximum available at Derwent Street.
NHS Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is supportive of the Belper Clinic site redevelopment scheme as a solution to seeing the delivery of their commissioning requirements for the future of joined-up health services in the town.
Zara Jones, executive director of commissioning operations for NHS Derby and Derbyshire CCG, said: “We’re delighted with the plans for the new health care facility in Belper, and also that we can now share this exciting development with local people.
“Not only will this building ensure the provision of high quality services for the foreseeable future, it also reflects the ongoing commitment of the NHS to improve care for our population in the places that people live.
“The growing list of services which will be available in the building reflects this and we look forward to seeing it emerge during 2020.”
NHS Property Services, which owns all of the Babington Hospital and Belper Clinic site, has agreed to the sale of the southern portion of the site including Belper Clinic, to Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust to enable the health services redevelopment to go ahead.
The proposed development’s footprint mitigates flood risk to the satisfaction of the Environment Agency. Positive early discussions have also taken place with the Highways Department, Amber Valley Borough Council and Historic England (Heritage) advisor, paving the way for a planning application to be submitted in late-Spring 2020.
The aim is to be able to start construction on site in Autumn 2020 and to complete the new building in Spring 2022.
William Jones added: “It has been a complicated process, involving multiple partner organisations, to line up these revised plans. All the complexities and the commercial sensitivities of agreeing the land purchase meant we needed to be certain we could offer this as a solution for people in Belper before going public.
“It is fantastic to be able to share the plans at last and to show the architectural drawings which help to bring the scheme to life. This really is a first-rate investment for which all the funding is secured to provide top quality community health facilities to serve people in Belper for decades to come.”
The revised location does not affect the new model of “bedded care” and community health services, which will see more patients cared for close to, or actually in their home, if that best suits their needs. Derbyshire County Council’s brand new bedded-care facilities are already taking shape in Derwent Street.
A public drop-in session to discuss the new Belper Clinic site development is being held on Wednesday 8 January at the Strutt Centre on Derby Road, Belper, between 6pm and 8pm. Health bosses from Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group will be on hand to answer questions and talk about the scheme.
More News From Amber Valley Info
| Lord Burlington opens iconic Heage Windmill On Saturday around 120 guests welcomed Lord Burlington to Heage Windmill for the Official Opening of the mill following extensive repairs read more | |
| Crich Tramway Village Back on Track Crich Tramway Village, home to the National Tramway Museum, has been fully operational since Easter Saturday and has welcomed many families, keen read more | |
| Police release image following reports of man trying door handles Police have released a CCTV image of a man they would like to speak to following reports of someone trying door han read more | |
| Belper Mill's early spring sale with discounts up to 80% One of Belper's favourite factory sales is back so people can treat themselves to some early spring bargains. read more | |
| Nigel Clough opens new grassroots sports and community venue in Amber Valley Mansfield Town FC boss Nigel Clough has today officially opened a revitalised sports and community facil read more | |
The Amber Valley Info Noticeboard
| Cold Callers claiming to be working on behalf of Derbyshire County Council Policehave seen and increase in reports of 'cold callers' where people are claiming to be working on behal read more | |
| Subscriptions For Amber Valley Borough Councils 2024 Garden Waste Service Are Now Open The garden waste collection service is available to all residents in Amber Valley except for r read more | |
| Mobile networks are being improved in Ripley Mobile networks are being improved in Ripley boosting the speed, performance and coverage of mobile services in the area. read more | |
| Trent Barton Buses - Extension Of The £2 Single Fare Cap Trent Barton Buses have confirmed their participation in the extension of the £2 single fare cap until the end o read more | |
| Crich Tramway Village Looking For An Engineering Manager The successful candidate for this post will have excellent management skills gained whilst working in a practical workshop e read more | |
