Rushmoor Borough Council, in partnership with North East Hampshire and Farnham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), is continuing to take steps to acquire land in Southwood, Farnborough to help provide a much needed new healthcare facility for local people.
The Council has now served a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) upon the owner and the occupiers of the Voyager Building in Apollo Rise, Southwood Business Park, which has been identified as the most appropriate location.
The CCG has been working with local people and partner organisations to identify the health and care needs of the area. A new Farnborough-based health centre was proposed as the best option as it was highlighted that the town’s current facilities are reaching capacity from growing demand, and a new centre will provide the opportunity to provide GP and other health services in a new way, and help people to manage their own health more effectively.
The CCG was successful in obtaining planning permission for a change of use of the building in November last year and will continue to engage with stakeholders and local people and listen to their views.
Councillor Barbara Hurst, Cabinet Member for Planning and Economy at Rushmoor Borough Council, said: “Improving the health and wellbeing of our residents remains a major priority for the council and our residents have a right to access good quality health care facilities locally.
“We hope this latest step brings closer a new facility that will increase the number of spaces for new patients. Several GP surgeries in Farnborough have already reached capacity and with the local population projected to grow it is vital that new facilities are created as soon as possible.”
Dr Karl Bennett, a Clinical Director of the CCG, said, “This is a much-needed project for the whole of Farnborough – to provide a hub for important services to support the whole locality, as well as a new home for some GP surgeries.
“We now have the opportunity to work in a different way, providing the right care for people, at the right time and in a convenient location. We hope that the people of Farnborough will give us their views in how we can shape these facilities to make the most positive changes to local people’s experience of health care.”
As part of the proposals, the CCG has also explored other potential locations for an integrated health care centre and had originally hoped that it could be included as part of the redevelopment of Farnborough’s Civic Quarter. The amount of land required, together with the timescales and other landowner interests involved, meant that the Civic Quarter was, and remains, unavailable as an option.
