Dorset Council along with NHS partners, co-hosted a stakeholder event this week to show options for new health, care and housing facilities on the Wareham middle school site.
This initiative is part of Dorset Council’s Building Better Lives scheme, which aims to use council-owned land to develop much-needed new housing and services for local communities. Dorset Council has worked in partnership with Wareham Town Council, Dorset HealthCare and Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group to develop this project.
The proposed scheme in Wareham will include new health and GP services, extra care housing, supported living (offering care for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions), recreational areas, and a range of affordable housing available to rent and buy through the open market. The scheme also offers potential solutions to some of the local traffic issues around the school.
The new health and care hub will host all the services currently available at Wareham Hospital, plus the opportunity to develop additional clinics and services. It will also integrate with the town’s GP practice – creating a more seamless, ‘one-stop shop’ for local residents.
High-quality, temporary housing units will be installed on the old middle school site for the first stage of the scheme. This will be available to local people with learning disabilities who are currently living in accommodation which doesn’t suit their needs, while more permanent properties are being built on site.
Cllr Laura Miller, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Health, said: “Rather than simply selling off council owned land to big property developers, we are focussing on providing much-needed housing and health and care services for local residents in Wareham. I’d like to thank Wareham Town Council and colleagues from the NHS for working with us in partnership to develop these proposals, and we look forward to continuing work on this exciting scheme.”
The meeting brought together stakeholders and partners and we are planning public information sessions along with Wareham Town Council and Friends of Wareham Hospital.
Planning permission will be sought towards the end of 2019, with work to begin on site and a public meeting planned for spring 2020. It is anticipated that the first phase of work will complete towards late 2021.
Total disgrace taking the only place in Wareham where our children and grandchildren can run freely in a safe environment.
Secondly affordable housing???? That is a joke right??? Affordable to who??? People on benefits that’s who. Both myself and my husband are in so called affordable housing and pay over £650 a month. We both work full time (a novelty I know) but paying that is a disgrace. You will only move people in to the area from Poole Bournemouth and further afield for them to go straight on the swapping sites to move back to their own area. IT’S HAPPENING NOW ON THE NEW ESTATE!!!! Dorset County sort your life out and stop thinking of the benefit scroungers and start working for the working Local people of Wareham. I understand our gp surgery is not fir for purpose but leave our rec alone!!!!!
All options safeguard a recreation ground for the town as mentioned in the reply further down.
With regards to the affordable housing, some of it will be for key workers – people who work in the social care and health professions in the Purbeck area and some will be for people in the local area who struggle to afford to live here. A Local Lettings plan will be developed and will determine who is eligible to occupy these properties.
Plenty of other space to consider this scheme!
As a single mum, who lives in a flat in wareham we regularly use the Rec. The traffic in and out of wareham is horrendous and 32 new homes right in the centre is going to make this even worse!
Maybe consider the routes in and out of wareham before piling more houses into unwanted and special areas!!
You wouldn’t find this by chance, would you!? “Options in full” link not working so I am unable to see these plans, but the rumour of turning the rec into another housing estate is worrying. We need to maintain some open spaces as the town grows. Don’t build anything on the Rec or the playing fields.
Please restore the options link.
There should be absolutely no building on the rec, nor should there be a road cutting it in half. I’m sure new affordable homes are needed, but brownfield sites should be found, not playing fields.
Hi
It is my understanding that Wareham rec has a covenant to protect it from any building plans wotsoever and is for the use of Wareham residents as a recreational field for such use, ie, sports and as of today’s carnival gatherings.
It should NOT even be considered as an option for part development to the developers or even the local planners!!!!
Yes I agree Wareham needs a new medical centre to meet the demands of a growing population locally, again short sighted by planners for allowing the increase of houses only leading to this aventual problem, let alone all the other issues it presents!!
No doubt the next issue in years to come will be the lack of space for school intake of pupils because of the increase population and yet they gave permission to knock down a good local school!!!
Is it true that the recreation ground will be built on in order to create this new health, care and housing hub? If so, and if the Town Council are in favour of this, they should be ashamed of themselves. The last thing we need is to lose this valuable space. New housing developments have homes that are crammed in so closely together that a decent sized garden is a thing of the past. Places like the recreation ground are vital for children to get exercise and fresh air in a safe environment.
Despite the fact we need assisted housing, we do not need the recreation ground to disappear to supply it. Intelligent people should be able to consider a more equitable answer. In short therefore is please think again. The infra structure is well below acceptable already, goodness knows what it would be like if this suggestion is put into place. NO
All options safeguard a recreation ground for the town. In Option 2, the recreation ground and associated facilities are improved and provided on the current school playing field site, and will continue to be owned and managed by the Town Council, who will decide if this option is progressed. An agreement would be put in place guaranteeing Purbeck School retains access to the ground for playing field use.
Paul
I want to be kept informed of the plans to develop the Rec as I am concerned at the potential loss of a valuable facility.
Hi Eric. Our website has all the details as they currently stand. You can keep up-to-date at http://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/wareham-bbl. We’re also holding public drop-in events throughout August. Dates and times are on the website and we’ve done a leaflet drop in Wareham itself.
Paul
I want to be kept informed of the plans to develop the Rec as I am concerned at the potential loss of a valuable facility.