CONSTRUCTION of Westbury’s new health centre in Leigh Park is now in its 13th week, and with the frame and roof lining already in place, the new £5.7million facility is beginning to take shape.
The new building will be approximately 2635 square metres in floor area and will include around 100 parking spaces for patients. As well as the current services offered by Eastleigh Surgery and the White Horse Surgery the state-of-the-art building will also facilitate a number of new services for Westbury.
When the White Horse News visited the site last week there were between 15-20 workmen on site. The steel frame has been erected and the roof liner sheets added, and a suspended deck has been installed. Drainage work and curbs for the car park has also been done, while a start is being made on brick and block work.
Over the next few weeks the roof should be finished and concrete slabs for the floors will be laid. It is hoped that the tarmac for the car park will be laid before Christmas. Block work for internal and external walls is also anticipated.
The surgery is now on week 13 of a 46 week build. The project is on schedule and the site manager anticipates that the project will be progressing ahead of schedule by Christmas. With the frame and roof up, it is hoped that it will now be easier to cope with any adverse weather conditions over the winter.
A steering group meeting was held at the site on 23rd November and Stewart Spearing, the project manager was co-opted onto the group. Bill Fanning, the chair of the group, said that it was educational having meetings on site and that everyone was thrilled to see the progress that had been made in such a short time.
He added that the main focus of the group now was communication with the community. Regular progress reports will be aligned with the site build plan and printed by the White Horse News. The use of web cams and display boards in prominent places are also being explored, while the clarification of transport arrangements is a priority.
