It’s all systems go for the new Two Rivers Medical Centre in north east Ipswich.
Following completion of contracts, construction work will start this month on the much-needed facility, which will be built on the former West Villa Hostel site in Woodbridge Road East.
Ipswich-based Apollo Capital Projects Development will lead work on the 2,200sq m state-of-the-art centre, which will replace the existing Lattice Barn and Woodbridge Road Surgeries and will serve more than 25,000 patients.
It will provide a mix of 25 consultation and treatment rooms, including a minor operations suite, specialist GP training facilities, and an onsite retail pharmacy.
The Lattice Barn and Woodbridge Road practices, which have recently merged to become the Two Rivers Medical Centre, will move into the new premises when it is competed next summer.
“This is excellent news for the Two Rivers Medical Centre, Apollo and the local community,” said Stuart Clarke, Apollo development manager.
“Having reached this important project milestone, we can now look forward to the construction phase of the development with work due to commence on site this month”.
Apollo, which is investing over £6m in the facility, has appointed local building contractor, Barnes Construction, to build the centre.
Dr Jonathan Knight, GP lead for the Two Rivers Medical Centre, said: “We look forward to moving into a fantastic purpose-built facility from which we can provide a fuller range of primary care services and better serve our patients.”
The development ,which is being built on a brownfield site, has been designed to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ environmental performance rating.
It has been designed by KLH Architects.