MP delighted at £20m site (From Stourbridge News)

MP delighted at £20m site

10:26am Friday 24th November 2006 in Local

JUBILANT Dudley South MP Ian Pearson was grinning from ear to ear after unveiling the hoarding for a £20m health centre.

The new health centre is set to transform the town when it is completed in September 2009.

Mr Pearson dropped by the Cottage Street site to meet with Advantage West Midlands (AWM) chief executive John Edwards last week.

The state-of-the-art community facility is sited on the 1.45 acres of land at the former Brier School site.

And £4.3m of funding has recently been secured by AWM allowing the flagship development to go ahead next April.

Dudley Infracare LIFT Ltd (DIL) a public-private partnership company created under the Government's Partnerships for Heath Programme has already secured £20.6m of funding and planning permission to build the centre.

The gap funding from AWM was required to enable extensive land reclamation and infrastructure work at the site including demolition of the derelict school buildings.

Mr Pearson said: "This really is excellent news for local people and Brierley Hill town centre as a whole.

"I've been a passionate advocate of the LIFT scheme as I want to see top quality health services right in the heart of the town where local people can easily access them."

The new centre boasts a social care services including clinics, an audiology centre and a range of diagnostic tests and examination services which are usually only provided in hospital.

John Edwards said: "Brierley Hill is ambitious and wants to play its part in creating jobs, homes and businesses to support the Black Country renaissance.

"It needs high quality town centre based public services and this project will not just improve the well being of its residents, it will also attract new investment from the private sector."

The site, which is currently owned by Westfield, will be transferred to DIL on the completion of reclamation work.

DIL will then oversee the construction of the health centre.

And the finished building will be leased to Dudley Primary Care Trust and Social Services.

ABOVE: Ian Pearson and John Edwards at the site of the new centre.