£32m Health and wellbeing hub gets the green light as council approves plans
A £32million health and wellbeing centre has been given the go-ahead by a city council, potentially bolstering a town for years to come.
Outline planning approval for the development of the Bilson Health and Wellbeing Facility has been granted by Wolverhampton Council at a meeting of the full council which was held in July.
The scheme was given the green light following public consultation on exciting designs for the proposed facility at a series of events at Bilston market, WV Active Bilston-Bert Williams Leisure Centre, Bilston Urban Village, local GP surgeries and health clinics and online.
Planners have now approved the proposal to develop the state-of-the-art health and wellbeing facility on the council-owned site, which is located next to the WV Active Bilston-Bert Williams Leisure Centre and Bilston Urban Village Medical Centre.
The community asset will bring together partners and providers from the health, social care wellbeing and leisure sectors to support around 18,000 residents.
The hub will also act as an anchor within the community, investing in early intervention and prevention, giving access to campus that builds resilience, and integrating and transforms primary and community services.
Wolverhampton Councillor council leader, Stephen Simkins, said: "Securing outline planning approval is an important milestone in this scheme and the new facility will provide invaluable health and wellbeing services for the local community.
"The feedback we have had from stakeholders, including residents, has been hugely positive and their input has been invaluable in developing plans for what will be an important community asset."
The health and wellbeing hub will be funded mostly from the £20m Government grand that the council secured for its transformation Bilston Health and Regeneration Programme in March.
The council leader continued: "The facility will be located where it can benefit the community the most, right in the centre, making it highly accessible and underpinned by investment in high-quality public realm and connectivity.
"We want our traditional local centres to flourish, and this scheme builds substantially on the investment already made in Bilston in recent years."
A fly-through video of what the new Bilston health and wellbeing facility could look like can be viewed at youtu.be/BpgPAq5Xkhg or watch it here:
