Contractor Henry Brothers Construction has been appointed to build a new £15m centre for community health services in Belper, Derbyshire.
The modern facilities – designed to have high environmental credentials to ensure long-term sustainability – will be built on the site of the former Belper Clinic, as part of the Babington Hospital site on Derby Road, Belper.
Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust has commissioned Midlands-based contractor Henry Brothers to deliver the new building.
It will include environmentally sustainable features such as photo-voltaic 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, along with timber from certified sources.
The health hub will feature 15 consulting rooms, six treatment rooms, a health education group room and other facilities, 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.
Designed by architects Race Cottam Associates, it will accommodate all existing outpatient and clinical services provided at Babington Hospital.
Ian Taylor, managing director of Henry Brothers Construction, said: “We are proud to have been appointed by Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust to build this important new community health facility for the people of Belper.
“Henry Brothers has wide experience of delivering community facilities in Derbyshire and beyond, such as schools and health care services, and we look forward to starting on site.
“Once completed, the Belper health hub will play an important role in the local community, providing key facilities to residents, and we are pleased to be involved in delivering this development for Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust.”
Planning permission for the new community health services hub was granted by Amber Valley Borough Council in September last year, paving the way for the process of inviting tenders and appointing a contractor, procured through the Pagabo Framework.
Jim Austin, executive director at Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted to announce the award of the contract for this project in anticipation of the start of work on site.
“Once completed, this new building will deliver healthcare facilities fit for the 21st century for people in Belper and surrounding area. It has been a long time in the planning and we’re excited to see site preparations for building work to start soon.”
Enabling work at the site is now getting under way, with a planned construction phase of 66 weeks. It is being built to BREEAM excellent standards to ensure long-term sustainability.
Other members of the construction team alongside Henry Brothers and Race Cottam Associates include project manager Capita, civil and structural engineer Eastwood Consulting Engineers, and mechanical and electrical engineers EP Consulting.
