The vacant site of the former Bridgewater Hospital is set to receive a new lease of life as the Grade II listed building sees its £19.7m bid to the Government’s Levelling Up Fund accepted, Sedgemoor District Council has announced.
The new facility, which has remained empty since the construction of the region’s Community Hospital back in 2014, will be reborn as a Training Centre of Excellence for Health and Social Care and be returned to full public use.
Sedgemoor say the ultimate objectives of the project are to:
- Grow and upskill the local labour market to make Somerset’s health sector a more enticing place to work.
- Address local health and care disparities by creating a more professionally trained industry, which will also help free up more capacity in primary care as a result of boosted domiciliary care capabilities.
- Drive innovation in health and social care service delivery and training by encouraging tech-business co-location at the site.
By rejuvenating a decaying, complex listed building, the council also expect to realise further benefits. They include:
- Saving a listed building in a highly visible and prominent location.
- Adding value to the £23.2m Town Deal Investment programme in Bridgwater, which includes major public realm improvements to Salmon parade.
- Boosting footfall to the town centre.
- Creating new jobs.
Sedgemoor District Council Leader, Councillor Duncan McGinty, said: “After the bad news over the last couple of days – the bus crash and the threat of flooding in the area – this is a fantastic shot in the arm for Sedgemoor and its partners.
“We are absolutely delighted that the bid was accepted and look forward to work starting on this fantastic project. We hope that work will start late Summer 2023, subject to the necessary planning and listed building processes.”
