Work to start on £1 million Church Stretton health centre

A lease agreement has now been signed on the building set to become Church Stretton's long-anticipated Health and Wellbeing Centre.

Negotiations to take over and transform the semi-redundant building in Easthope Road, which currently houses the Church Stretton Clinic, have been continuing since early 2014.

The delay has been an anti-climax after town residents and businesses raced against time to pledge £116,000 in just three months at the end of 2013, to make sure funding was not lost and the project could go ahead.

Now plans are back on track as the Mayfair Trust, which also runs the community centre next door, has officially completed a deal to take over the building on lease from Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust.

Church Stretton town councillor Bob Welch, who led the drive to find £116,000 from the Church Stretton community, said: "On behalf of all the residents who have pledged financial support for the new Health and Wellbeing Centre, I am delighted that the protracted negotiations have finally been concluded.

"I am sure the community will now rally round to support Mayfair staff in making a success of the new centre, following the adaptation work," he said.

South Shropshire MP Philip Dunne added that it could serve as a model for future collaboration between the NHS and local communities.

He said: "Due to national regulations, the NHS were unable to sell the building to South Shropshire Housing Association, to then be leased to Mayfair, as was the original plan.

"Instead, this new agreement will see a direct lease, allowing for use of the site and more integrated health and social care in Church Stretton after refurbishment works," he said.

Nicola McPherson, chief officer at Mayfair, said: "It is fantastic news.

"This enables us commence the refurbishment works in the new year and once completed we will take over the building on a 25-year lease."

She added: "We would like to say particular thanks to the Roy Fletcher Trust for their patience and £500,000 funding, the people of the Strettons and surrounding area whose pledge of £116,000 has kept this project on the road and the Bradbury Foundation who have allocated £75,000 to the development.

"We are extremely grateful of the support from the Church Stretton Heath and Care Partnership, in particular Bob Welch for leading the appeal, and Anne Gee.

"We would also like to thank our team of professionals and the builders for their patience. This has taken years of effort but the hard work starts now.

"We look forward to your continued support to bring our Health and Wellbeing Centre into fruition in 2016," she said.

The aim of this appeal was to raise £100,000 from the local community in six months to secure the establishment of the Health & Well-Being Centre.

It was co-ordinated by the Church Stretton Health & Social Care Partnership, made up of all the statutory, private and voluntary health and social care agencies in the town.