Ground broken for Belper health centre

Main contractor Henry Brothers Construction and Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust have jointly held a turf-cutting ceremony to mark the start of work for a new £15M health centre in Belper.

Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive Tracy Allen, said: “Back in 2017 we first started talking publicly about the need for new community health facilities for Belper and it’s been a long and eventful seven years to reach this point, involving several changes of plan and a pandemic which put everything on hold.

“So, to be able to put the first ceremonial spade in the ground to start construction is a really fantastic moment. It’s a tribute to the many people who have helped us reach this point. I can’t wait to see the architect’s plans come off the page as the building takes shape and becomes a purpose-designed environment for local people to receive a range of community health services for years to come.”

The modern facilities – designed to have high environmental credentials to ensure long-term sustainability – are being built on the site of the former Belper Clinic, as part of the Babington Hospital site on Derby Road, Belper.

The new health centre, which is aiming for a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating, will include environmentally sustainable features such as photovoltaic panels on the roof to harness the power of the sun, with pledges to use local and recycled material from demolished buildings in the build where possible.

The health hub will feature 15 consulting rooms, six treatment rooms, a health education group room, and will provide a range of services including community nursing, midwifery clinics, podiatry services, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, continence advisory service, wound care and phlebotomy.