Your Waverley has just agreed to spend £207,000 on a new roof to provide Farnham with a new modern GP Surgery.
Waverley owns the building, which has been empty for 24 years but is now restoring it to improve health services in the town.
According to plans submitted to Waverley Borough Council, a Farnham GP surgery is to be relocated and expanded to a new home 300 metres away from its current location. The current facilities at the Downing Street Practice have been described as “no longer of a suitable size or fit for purpose” to meet current needs.
The Council approved the Executive’s recommendation to borrow the extra money to bring the building back into use with a new roof, gulleys, and outlets as part of the remodelling and refurbishment of the premises. CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) will also be used for the project.
The Wey Court East building on the corner of Union Road and South Street has now been proposed as a GP surgery and pharmacy location that can cater to a patient list of between 12,000 and 15,000 people. A statement within the planning documents stated: “With the current practice premises located in the heart of the community in the town centre of Farnham, the relocation and expansion of facilities aims to support the local community.”
The proposed new home for the practice has been vacant and unoccupied since 2020. It will undergo remodelling and refurbishment before being used for a new purpose. Work is set to include a new entrance canopy, front doors, and replacement windows.
Why leave a building “empty for 24 years” when it could have been turned into affordable accommodation no wonder the council tax is so high? Hopefully the money spent is based upon a enforceable contract agreement.
Was “empty for 24 years” factual?
Tht is what it said in the report papers and on the video webcast.