New health centre for Battersea

Wandsworth Council has agreed to invest £13million in a new health centre being built within Phase 4a of the £9billion Battersea Power Station regeneration project.

The new health centre on Sleaford Street will include a GP practice as well as communal areas for health and well-being activities and is estimated to open in winter 2023, it is reported.

By 2030, it is estimated that the population of the Nine Elms Vauxhall regeneration zone will reach 33,000 people, prompting plans to extend health provision in the area, says the MyLondon news website.

The new facility will be designed as a Primary Care Medical Centre to meet the primary care needs of up to 20,000 patients and provide flexible capacity which will support future changes to healthcare needs in the area.

Leader of Wandsworth Council, councillor Ravi Govindia, said: "This is real and tangible progress on our promise to deliver improved access to healthcare for our established and new resident communities in Nine Elms.

"These state-of-the-art health facilities are part of a whole new network of social and transport infrastructure for the area, which includes parks, community and cultural spaces and two new Tube stations delivered without major taxpayer subsidy."

Dr Nicola Jones, from the South West London Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Securing this funding is great news for local patients, NHS staff and the wider public in Wandsworth. It is an important step towards our aim of providing a modern, purpose-built health centre for local people.

“Not only will the proposed new facility offer a modern environment for Nine Elms’ growing population, it will complement the development plans for the wider area too.

“We will, of course, work closely with the community over the coming years to ensure services are convenient for our patients living in the new development and from surrounding areas in North Battersea.”