Eyesore former pub the ‘preferred location’ for major new Cavell Centre health hub in Hucknall

A "derelict eyesore" former pub could be the home of a major new health and community centre planned for Hucknall.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the former Seven Stars pub, in West Street, is the proposed location for the new 'Cavell Centre' in the town.

A Cavell Centre is an "all under one roof" centre featuring GPs, health and wellbeing services and other in-community facilities.

The aim of the new centres, which are so far planned for just six locations across the UK, is to bring NHS health and care services into one building as a one-stop-shop for patients.

In some cases, they could serve as many as 150,000 patients, with several GPs located in the building alongside a raft of other services.

A document seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service reveals other services may include physiotherapists, bookable community spaces and areas for the voluntary sectors to use.

Some Cavell Centres could also host dentistry, though this has not been confirmed for the Hucknall centre.

The plans are being drawn up as part of a national NHS estates programme to join up outpatient, community, diagnostic and other health services.

Nottinghamshire NHS leaders say the organisation currently has pre-application planning documents in place for the Hucknall centre, though it did not confirm the location for the plans.

The major hub had initially been planned for part of the Piggins Croft car park, in Hucknall town centre.

But difficulties in finding space for the three-storey building without losing town centre car parking spaces meant a new site needed to be found.

Ashfield District Council is providing more than £1m to the scheme through Section 106 developer contributions and its leader says the authority helped to identify the derelict pub.

Early drawings shared with the Local Democracy Reporting Service show the hub would front onto West Street and spread around onto Spring Street and Ogle Street – where a large new 120-space car park would be accessed.

No official sign-off on using the former pub has been made and the NHS did not confirm the location when asked.

However, the early drawings shared with the Local Democracy Reporting Service confirm the location of the plans.

Councillor Jason Zadrozny (Ash Ind) is the leader of Ashfield District Council.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "It's amazing news for Hucknall because it gets this multi-GP surgery in a massive Cavell Centre that's only one of few in the UK.

"The Seven Stars pub, which is our preferred site, is a really bad, derelict grot-spot just another 100 yards outside the town centre than Piggins Croft, and this could be seen as a massive boom.

"So it would be a double-whammy positive because we could get to clear up this building while getting social provisions, nurses, GPs, physios – all sorts of different services.

"It's not just about health, there are loads of background about preventing people from needing health support, to be part of economic regeneration in the town.

"It could be a massive benefit because if we're getting all these people coming into the town centre, they will go to the shops and stay in Hucknall.

"It's potentially going to do tonnes of stuff, including separate library services and health education, and we've redesigned it so it can work in partnership with the district council."

An official planning application for the new hub is being drawn up and is expected to be submitted to the district council in the coming months.

A spokesperson for NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire said: "We can confirm that work is ongoing with regards to a site for the proposed Health and Wellbeing Hub in Hucknall and we have a pre-planning application in place.

"There are commercially confidential aspects to this proposal. Once there is news that can be shared more widely then all local stakeholders will be updated.

"Being one of six national pioneers is a significant opportunity to bring national capital funding into Hucknall and to transform the way in which primary health care services are delivered and integrated with wider wellbeing activities.

"We continue to work with partners to improve the health and wellbeing, quality of life and health outcomes of our patients and residents in Hucknall."