The NHS hosted an event to find out more about its plans for new health and wellbeing center on the site of the former Altrincham General Hospital in UK.

NHS Trafford Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is hosting the event at Altrincham Town Hall on October 4th. Representatives from the NHS and Trafford Council as well as the development’s project managers, developer and architects attended to the meeting to answer questions.

Previously, the developer Citybranch agreed a £35 million (US$44.6 million) deal with Canada Life, a subsidiary of the Great-West Life Assurance Company, to fund the construction of the new facility, to be known as the South Trafford Health & Wellbeing Centre.

The developer has also agreed to fully let the 88,000 sq ft hub to the NHS Property Services on a 30-year income strip lease, a structure which allows the NHS to acquire the freehold interest at the end of the period for £1.

Demolition of the existing building has already begun, with the three-floor development also incorporating a new Altrincham Library and Tourist Information Centre, the Trafford Co-ordination Centre, a mix of community services and therapies, a pharmacy, clinical suites and training areas, minor surgery suite, as well as retail space and a café.

The scheme is due for completion in spring 2018.

Adam Gross, director at Citybranch, said:

“This is an entirely new approach to health and social care delivery that enables the co-location of services and creates an exemplar template for other public bodies to follow.

“It also allows the NHS to dispose of assets that are no longer fit-for-purpose and enter into highly-favorable arrangements without the need to raise any capital expenditure. The income strip lease will give the tenant complete control over the management, running and future ownership of the building – a big step forward from the PFI model traditionally used by the NHS.”