Thornbury multi-million pound health centre scaled back

Thornbury Hospital has been left empty since closing in 2019

Plans for a new health centre in South Gloucestershire have been scaled back due to high inflation and long delays resulting in a smaller budget.

Last year, the government promised to fund the £14m refurbishment of the former Thornbury Hospital.

The original plan was for three GP surgeries but now it involves a health centre with space for two GP surgeries.

Tim James, from the regional integrated care board (ICB), said the budget did not "stretch as far" as first hoped.

Thornbury Hospital closed down in 2019 and has been left empty ever since, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Along with two GP surgeries, the new plans involve building 75 extra care apartments for the elderly.

Tim James, from North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB, said an application for £14m was made to the Department for Health but an answer was "never received" on whether the project could progress or not.

"We certainly pursued an answer, but one was never forthcoming until last summer, when the Department for Health - indicated the funding may be available now," he said.

"It's fantastic news, but not without challenges. The budget is not going to stretch as far as we had originally hoped.

"We also don't have a guarantee the funding will be available beyond [March 2025]."

A public consultation is due to take place in July.

Construction, however, will not start until at least February after the final business case for the project has been submitted to NHS England.