Lack of cash puts paid to health centre

May 15 2009 By Russell Butt

Queen Elizabeth House

PLANS to convert an empty care home into a much-needed health centre have been ditched through lack of funding.

Runnymede Council hoped to convert Queen Elizabeth House, in Englefield Green, into a comprehensive health centre.

However, in June the council’s economic development committee will consider other uses for the building after failing to generate enough cash to make the proposals materialise.

The news has disappointed the elderly residents of Torin Court, the road where the former care home is based, who fear an inappropriate development, such as blocks of flats, will be earmarked for their quiet cul-de-sac.

Doreen Laley, who lives opposite, said: “The failure of the health centre plan is a blow to the community. It would have been nice because they could have had the chiropodists, dentists and pharmacy all in the same place.

“With the number of elderly residents who live around here it would have been nice if it had stayed a nursing home or been a clinic. But if they are proposing to build flats, we don’t have much room for extra traffic.”

GPs from the Bond Street medical practice came up with the idea for a major health centre and received the backing of residents and the council.

Various ways to raise funds were explored, including selling part of the building for private health facilities, but that would not have provided enough cash.

And East Berkshire Primary Care Trust and the government office for the south-east both recently clarified the amount of revenue support they could offer and it would not have been enough.

Council Leader, Cllr John Furey, said: “We are extremely disappointed we have had to abandon the proposals. We know that the local community supported this use and we have worked tirelessly with the GPs and the PCTs to try and make it happen.

“It is very disappointing that adequate finance could not be found from health budgets. We believe it is a missed opportunity, but we have taken this as far as we can and must now move on to consider other options.”

Queen Elizabeth House closed its doors in November 2007 and now alternative uses for the site will be considered by council finance experts later this summer.