Plans for a brand-new health centre in Bicester have taken another step forward after Cherwell District Council granted planning permission for the build on Graven Hill.
Montgomery House Surgery and Alchester Medical Group which comprises Langford Medical Practice, Victoria House Surgery, and Ambrosden Surgery first announced their intentions to futureproof primary care provision in Bicester by moving their practices onto a larger site in February 2019 with Graven Hill announced as their preferred location in September of that year.
The £15 million 3,350sqm new health hub will have 69 patient rooms, a pharmacy, a new access road, 223 car parking spaces, an ambulance bay, a service bay, and a mobile medical unit. It will also feature three different therapy garden spaces. It is expected to have capacity to serve 50,000 patients with room to expand in the future if required.
The aspiration is that over time more healthcare services will be sited at the hub meaning patients can receive a wider range of treatment closer to home. It will also support the training of new GPs and nurses.
Construction of the surgery will now begin with completion expected in mid-2023.
While Montgomery House Surgery and the surgeries of Alchester Medical Group will all relocate to the new site, the surgeries will continue to operate as separate practices. The town’s other practice, Bicester Health Centre, will stay and expand facilities on its present site at Coker Close.
Bicester Conservatives said: “We know that residents have been understandably anxious about these changes but with Montgomery House Surgery and Alchester Medical Group both unable to expand at their current sites, it is important that this step is taken to ensure our primary care providers can continue to operate, serving both the existing, and future, population of our town.
It is also hoped that the new site will provide more than primary care thanks to its larger size meaning that patients won't have to travel to Banbury or Oxford to receive certain treatments.
We are listening to residents and appreciate that access to the new surgery is a concern for some. We are pleased that Cherwell District Council is seeking £320,000 of developer contributions to improve bus links to the site and we will continue to make representations to the surgeries about access of all types, including for pedestrians and cyclists.”
