Planned building work at the Bretton Centre
Update on development work – July 2023
Further to the update below (September 2022), the planned development work at The Bretton Centre, Fieldhead Hospital is still delayed.
Since starting the project, the forecasted costs to refurbish the wards, installing en-suite facilities and making improvements to the wider ward accommodation, are now significantly higher than at the beginning of the project. This is due to the rising costs of goods and services over the past year.
Our Trust is continuing to work with our contractors, and through our contracting and commissioning processes, to come to a final decision on whether we can proceed with work to The Bretton Centre as planned.
We understand these delays will be disappointing for people who use our services at The Bretton Centre, their carers, families and loved ones. We apologise for the uncertainty, and impact this may cause.
We will continue to keep people up to date with the progress of the development work.
Information about the planned building work – September 2022
We are planning to make some changes to the Bretton Centre
The Bretton Centre is a male low secure mental health unit. It sits within the Fieldhead site, which provides a wider range of mental health, learning disability and community services.
We are planning to refurbish the wards and you can view the plans here. We want to install en-suite facilities in the bedrooms and improve the wider ward accommodation. We are making these changes to:
- protect the dignity of our service users
- give service users personal privacy while they are with us
- allow us to more easily, safeguard service users and staff
- Shorten the time it takes for service users to recover – the modern and comfortable surroundings help to support their recovery
- improve the care we deliver for some of the most vulnerable people in our community.
Update to building development plans
Recently the Bretton centre project board met and reviewed the plans for the site.
The board members agreed that it is a key priority for the Trust to make sure that future building developments will limit the use of natural resources and positively support the natural environment for everyone.
Within this building development the board agreed that the Trust will make a future cost saving by investing in solar panels, insulation and air source heat pumps. These measures will reduce the use of natural gases on site.
This means there will be some changes to the planned exterior of the building:
- The footprint of the building will remain virtually the same
- The outside of the building will look a little different
- The completed building will be similar to the appearance of the Unity Centre, with render and flat roof to replace the pitched roofline.
We understand that the planned building works may cause disruption for our neighbours during the build period. We will keep any disruption to a minimum. If you have any questions or want additional information please get in touch.
When will the works take place?
Planning permission for the latest proposals has recently been submitted. The work:
- is due to start in November 2022
- will last approximately 19 months
- will be carried out during working hours, Monday to Friday.
If there are any changes to these plans, we will inform you in advance. Everything we need to develop the unit will be based on our Fieldhead site. We have enough parking on site for all the workers and our staff, so there should be no increased traffic or parking in the local area.
Have your say
As part of the involvement process, we held two online drop-in meetings for local residents to discuss the proposals and ask any questions.
Download the carers information slides
In the coming weeks you may see notices placed by the planning department from the local authority. This is normal for any development and you will be able to formally submit any comments to the planners. However, if you have any early views about the redevelopment, or wish to discuss this with the Trust, please contact:
- Carol Harris by email carol.harris@swyt.nhs.uk or by phone 01924 316298.
- Sally Ironfield, the Trust’s project manager for the scheme, by email at sally.ironfield@swyt.nhs.uk or by calling 07826 513939.
- Sue Threadgold, the deputy director of the service by email at sue.threadgold1@swyt.nhs.uk or by calling 07798 694796.
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