A project to construct a new health park in Somerton is reaching completion.
The project includes the construction of a new care home as well as a doctor’s surgery and includes associated parking facilities.
Somerton Health Park Care Home is a brand new, 58-bed facility under construction at The Pennards, Behind Berry. The project was implemented by Close Care Homes Limited, with Andrew Wilson Partnership as the project manager, Brewer Smith & Brewer providing architectural services and Swan Paul Partnership as the landscape architect.
Close Care Homes was awarded planning permission for the new health park by South Somerset Council in January 2013. The initial plan for the project was submitted in July 2011.
Work began on the Somerton-based project in April 2013. To mark the beginning of the project, an official ground breaking ceremony took place on 5th April at 12:30pm.
Somerton Health Park Care Home replaces the former Wessex House home which had limited facilities and was in need of updating and improving. The two-storey structure covers an area of 4100 sq metres and includes parking for 51 vehicles.
Safety and security is of the upmost importance on the site, so the new care home will include detection and alarm systems, including CCTV. Internally the building will include carpets, plastered walls and a pitched roof.
Joining Somerton Health Park Care Home is a GP surgery, which was originally designed to join Somerton Health Park Care Home, but was initially delayed over concerns that the town would lose its medical provision. After much discussion, a solution was presented through the development of a partnership which could take this aspect of the project forward.
In March 2013 a partnership between Penn Hill Surgery, Preston Grove Medical Centre in Yeovil and the Wincanton Health Centre was set up, allowing work to begin on Somerton Surgery. Construction work commenced on the GP surgery in April.
Two new doctors were appointed in September 2013: Dr Rosie Cornish and Dr Rachel Boyland. The new doctors join the recently appointed medical director Dr Jo Cummings, who previously ran her own surgery in Australia for ten years.
Work is due to reach completion on the project in April 2014.
