Plans ‘coming along’ for hospital

NHS chiefs have said that plans are currently in the design phase and architects are drafting plans for a facility that will meet the needs of everyone.

Peter West, head of estates, for Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, which is leading on plans for the development, said: “Architects have been appointed to draw up plans for the new health care facility at Heanor and the development plans are coming along well.  

“Getting the plans right, so that the new facility meets the needs of everyone who will use and work in the new healthcare centre, is our key priority at the moment.

“A service user group, involving our public governor representatives, has been set up and has met twice in the past six weeks.

“The group is playing an active part in influencing the design planning.

“It is important that we get this initial planning stage right.

“We will then be in a position to share the proposals with everyone in the local community and at this stage we are working hard with the architects to achieve this.

“All the memorabilia from the Heanor Hospital site has been secured to enable incorporation into the new build.  

“We are also working to building specifications which aspire to meet the BREEAM Excellent for Healthcare standards, as the leading and most widely used environmental assessment method for best practice in sustainable design.”

The hospital has been closed to patients since September 2013, after asbestos was discovered in a boiler room during a routine inspection.

It will be replaced by the new building that is expected to open in 2017.