New health centre set to rise from old (From Penarth Times)

New health centre set to rise from old

ONE of Penarth's busiest health centres will finally be demolished and redeveloped after four years in planning.

Penarth Health Centre, on Stanwell Road, opened in 1970 and staff there say it is now completely out of date.

Next week it will close, hopefully reopening at Christmas as a brand new state-of-the-art centre.

Meanwhile, patients from Penarth, Sully and Dinas Powys will visit medical staff at temporary buildings outside the Masonic Hall.

Dr Jonathan Evans, one of five GPs there, said: "Four years ago we decided to redevelop the surgery, and it's taken four years to come off because of a million different things, like planning and temporary arrangements.

"When this was built it was state-of-the-art. But a lot has happened since then, computers, additional practice staff, and records have got four times as big."

The new two-storey building will offer 44 car parking spaces, instead of the current 22. It will have a pitched roof to avoid leaking, increased privacy for patients and better facilities.

Dr Evans, who has worked there for ten years, said: "It will have the potential for new doctors, especially with the pressure of the housing development at Dinas Road and more people coming to the Marina."

He said: "It will be great. It will make a big difference to staff morale. Patients will feel better in a nice building. We sympathise with our neighbours having to look at this, it's a very ugly building."

The current building is owned by Llandough Hospital. However, the work will be carried out by an England-based private company, which will own the new building.

All services, including doctors, physiotherapy, chiropody and speech therapy, will be provided at the temporary accommodation.

The surgery will be closed for the move on Thursday, March 8 and Friday, March 9. Patients needing to be seen urgently on these days should phone 2070 3039.

Normal surgery resumes on March 11.