Shoebury sees diggers move in to tear down former hospital

Ten years after residents began their campaign for a new Shoebury health centre, diggers have finally moved in to tear down the former hospital and care home in Ness Road.

Health bosses are drawing up a business plan for the next phase of the work and want to hear from residents about what services they would like to have in the new centre.

Ruth Hallett, South East Essex alliance director for NHS mid and south Essex, said: “We are excited to be able to move forward with the next stage of plans that will modernise local health and care services for the benefit of people in Shoebury and surrounding areas.

“The next phase will see further engagement with as many members of the public and stakeholders as possible to gather views on the services that should be offered from the proposed new site.

“All this information will allow us to develop a business case to secure funding.”

The NHS-owned land has planning permission for housing but the land has since been chosen by residents as the best spot for the new health centre.

Peter Lovett, chairman of the Shoebury Residents Association, explained on the group’s Facebook page.

He said: “In order to obtain planning permission to remove the old hospital they included plans to build apartments in its place.

“It was delayed pending the outcome of the new health centre consultation.

“Once our residents decided that Ness Road was the best site out of the five offered, they have now appointed a design team to produce drawings and agree what services they will provide inside the new health centre.”

Shoebury House, which was originally built as a pre-war convalescent home, and was selected out of a shortlist of potential sites. Other sites included the Gunners Pak, the Thorpedene library site and the current Shoebury Health Centre in Campfield Road The home was most recently used for non-residential specialist health care, but the building has been vacant since 2008.