Hucknall health centre: Ashfield District Council papers confirm old pub is new preferred site for project

As revealed by the Dispatch online last week, the Ashfield Independents-led council has switched its intended site for the centre from Piggins Croft Car Park to the old Seven Stars site.

Early drawings shared with the LDRS show the hub would front on to West Street and spread around onto Spring Street and Ogle Street – where a large new 120-space car park would be accessed.

Nottinghamshire NHS leaders say the organisation currently has pre-application planning documents in place for the Hucknall centre, though it did not confirm the location for the plans.

No official sign-off on using the former pub has been made and the NHS did not confirm the location when asked.

However, the early drawings shared with the LDRS confirm the location of the plans.

Coun Jason Zadrozny (Ash Ind), council leader, said: “The Seven Stars pub, which is our preferred site, is a really bad, derelict grot-spot, so it would be a double-whammy positive because we could get to clear up this building while getting social provisions, nurses, GPs, physios – all sorts of different services.

“It’s not just about health – this is part of economic regeneration in the town.

“It could be a massive benefit because if we’re getting all these people coming into the town centre, they will go to the shops and stay in Hucknall.

An official planning application for the new hub is being drawn up and is expected to be submitted to the district council in the coming months.

A spokesperson for NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire said: “We can confirm that work is ongoing with regards to a site for the proposed health and wellbeing hub in Hucknall and we have a pre-planning application in place.

“There are commercially confidential aspects to this proposal.

"Once there is news that can be shared more widely then all local stakeholders will be updated.

“We continue to work with partners to improve the health and wellbeing, quality of life and health outcomes of our patients and residents in Hucknall.”

The council is providing more than £1 million to the scheme through Section 106 developer contributions.

The Independents also say the project will bring in dozens of extra doctors and dramatically improve health services in Hucknall.”

But these claims have been criticised by John Wilkinson, Labour candidate for the upcoming Hucknall West by-election.

He said: “With the Hucknall Health Centre Project Group not even able to tell local GPs of the proposed location, or brief local councillors, because of ‘commercial confidentiality’, the Ashfield Independents blunder in by telling Hucknall that the privately-owned Seven Stars site is the chosen location.

"The Ashfield Independents are using commercial information for electoral purposes.

“The Ashfield Independents claim this ‘will lead to dozens of extra doctors’ – a lie – even the NHS will not confirm any increase in doctor numbers.

"The Ashfield Independents also claim £1 million of of taxpayers money is already committed to the centre, but, despite requests from Hucknall Labour, council officers have yet to confirm what this money is for.”