Hope House Surgery in Radstock says its partners and staff are delighted to have received notification of full planning

consent from B&NES Council this week for its new Health and

Community Centre, which will be located on Waterloo Road.

Whilst B&NES’ Development Management Committee approved the decision at the Guildhall last September, the consent was conditional on Section 106 (or CIL) requirements being met, which have been approved this week. A spokesperson for Hope House told The Journal that they hope to release a timeline of works by the end of September.

Stephanie Coombs, Practice Manager at Hope House Surgery, responded to the announcement: “We are excited to work with our partners on this project, which will allow us to continue to provide general practice services to the growing local population and to develop further enhanced services for our community.

“Collectively, we recognise that a holistic approach to health care and social wellbeing can deliver significant benefits to our population and the new Health and Community Centre will provide the facilities required to make this a reality for Radstock.”

The new purpose-built, modern health care facility will continue to offer the full range of services already provided by Hope House Surgery, with the intention of being able to offer additional services that patients currently need to travel to Paulton or the RUH to access. It will allow for the predicted population growth and ensure that a GP surgery remains within the town centre.

B&NES Council is joining Hope House Surgery in this project, and the town’s Children’s Centre and Library will also relocate to the new facility. With both under threat from budget-cut closure, the Council says that this plan will ensure that these services remain in Radstock, keeping them easily accessible for residents.

Cllr Vic Pritchard (Conservative, Chew Valley North), B&NES Council’s Cabinet Member for Health & Wellbeing, said: “We are pleased to be part of an exciting and innovative local project and we welcome the support from external funding (NHS England) to help deliver much-needed local facilities.

“The Children’s Centre and Library, together with the other health facilities under one roof, offers an excellent opportunity to integrate services. It also enables all the services to be modernised and fits well with our modern libraries approach.”

Westfield and Radstock Big Local also intend to run a Community Kitchen at the heart of the centre, which will provide education around preparing and cooking healthy and nutritious meals on a budget. This scheme is driven by local health and lifestyle concerns highlighted by doctors at Hope House.

Ms Coombs added: “We will continue to work closely with Bath and North East Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group, NHS England, Bath and North East Somerset Council and Westfield and Radstock Big Local to ensure that the development and building work now progress efficiently.

“The team at Hope House Surgery, along with the support over the past four years from the specialist health team at GVA and other stakeholders, remain committed to our objective to provide sustainable health and community facilities in the centre of Radstock for generations to come.”

The decision has not been welcomed by everyone, with protesters having called for Radstock’s green space that the surgery will be built on, behind the Memorial Garden and car park, to be protected. It has also added to growing debate surrounding parking in the town. Work was originally expected to begin in the spring of this year.