A new medical centre and church hall has opened its doors to parishioners and patients in Basingstoke.
Developed by the Leadbitter Group, the £3.2m scheme on the site of the former St Andrew’s Methodist Church in the town’s South Ham area, was commissioned by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
The medical centre includes a GP surgery with seven consulting rooms as well as a dental surgery and a pharmacy.
The medical centre has been let to a practice that has relocated from its South Ham and Hatch Warren surgeries to the new site. The new church hall will be used by both parishioners and the wider community.
The development included the demolition of the existing church, which involved working around the bat nesting season and carefully removing the original foundation stones. The stones were later restored and relaid as part of the new two-storey building, which was built using traditional methods including load-bearing masonry and a trussed and tiled roof. The project also included creating new vehicular access and 16 extra car parking spaces.
David Cook, regional director of Leadbitter’s Southern Construction and Housing division, said: “We are very proud of the work we have done on this scheme. These much-needed medical and community facilities will bring tremendous benefits to the local community.”
The council’s cabinet member for property and finance, Councillor John Izett, added: “Community health is a top priority for Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and I am delighted work on these new and much-needed community facilities is now complete.
”Through joint working with partners and the local community we have invested £3.2m to create 21st-century facilities that will contribute to the future health and wellbeing of residents for many years to come. I hope they will be delighted with the results.”
