£1m medical centre plan wins full backing
The final hurdle to a new £1 million medical practice in Cleobury Mortimer has been cleared after planning permission was granted for the development of the site.
Shropshire Council planning officers have used delegated powers to approve the blueprint for what was the former Muller England site in Cleobury Mortimer.
Work on the health centre could now start in the next couple of months, with the middle of next year earmarked as a possible opening date.
The medical centre will house GPs surgeries and a pharmacy, while off-street parking for patients and staff also forms part of the plans.
The new practice will replace the surgery at Pinkham.
Staff working there say it is cramped and no longer fit for purpose.
Councillor Gwilym Butler, Shropshire councillor for Cleobury Mortimer, said he was delighted and that it was great news for the town.
"I think this is hopefully the final hurdle we needed to clear to bring a fantastic, state-of-the-art medical facility to Cleobury Mortimer," he said.
"It is quite an achievement to get this level of investment in such a period of austerity, and it will be a massive boost for the area."
Matrix Medical, which specialises in projects in the health field, is the developer behind the idea for the new practice.
The firm agreed a deal to buy the site back at the end of 2011.
But bosses had stalled on completing the purchase of the land – for a reported £170,000 – until approval had been given by Shropshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) and planning permission had been granted for the new centre.
PCT approval for the plan was given at about Christmas time last year after its board members agreed to an application for funding to allow it to go ahead.
Speaking at the time, senior commissioning manager Liz Welsh said the board recognised the benefits of the new practice.
She said there would be gains in terms of providing 'quality care' and appropriate facilities for patients in the town.
At the start of the process, other proposals for the land were suggested by rival developers Bovis Homes and Blue Square.
Blue Square has since unveiled plans to build a 60-bed nursing home on land opposite the proposed medical centre site.
