A new, state-of-the-art GP surgery for Barry will open to the public on November 15, 2010 at Barry Waterfront.
The £4m, 22,000 sq ft facility will accommodate the High Street Family Practice, which will move from its current limited accommodation in three converted shop premises in High Street to this landmark development on the Waterfront.
Dr Keith Holgate, Senior Partner at High Street, said: “The move to the new surgery is a very exciting time for the Practice. All the staff are looking forward to having a facility which enables us to provide the service and standards of care that is now expected in general practice.
“We look forward to welcoming our existing patients who have been tolerant of the facilities at High Street and also hope that new patients will want to join. We would like to pass on our thanks to Matrix Medical and the Primary Care team at Cardiff & Vale University Local Health Board for their support in developing this project, as well as Opco Ltd for building an impressive medical centre for our patients.”
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB) is responsible for the provision of primary care services across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.
UHB Director of Primary, Community and Mental Health Services, Katie Norton, welcomed the opening of the new centre.
“The opening of the new surgery marks the culmination of tremendous work by all those involved, providing a much-needed modern healthcare facility for one of the largest practices in the Vale of Glamorgan.
“The new facility continues the major investment which has been made in primary care in recent years and we can be confident that this development will enhance services for local people for many years to come.”
The new surgery is located in the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Innovation Quarter, a 19-acre mixed use development area being facilitated by the council in partnership with the Welsh Assembly Government.
The new facility sits alongside other completed and ongoing development projects within the Innovation Quarter including the BSC (an entrepreneurship centre consisting of eight workshops and 15 offices), a Skills Training Centre (comprising an IT training centre and conservation workshop) and a Grade 2 listed Hydraulic Pumping House, which is currently being externally restored and is due to be marketed by the council during 2011.
To the south, overlooking the Number One Dock, a two-acre site in front of the Pumping House is currently being marketed for a hotel and pub/restaurant. As part of the surgery development an upgraded highway – the ‘IQ Spine Road’ project – will be completed, providing improved footway, cycleway and road links to the medical facility and these other developments.
Leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council, Cllr Gordon Kemp, said: “I am delighted this new centre has been delivered for Barry within the Innovation Quarter. I am sure it will be welcomed by the local community, providing the practice and the public it serves with a wonderful modern health facility.
“It is a project that, together with the other developments in the Innovation Quarter, contributes greatly to the ongoing regeneration of the Waterfront area and assists the local economy by safeguarding and creating new high quality jobs.
“Along with the newly upgraded highway access, the primary care centre has been a challenging and complex project. Its successful delivery is a tribute to the developer Matrix Medical, the UHB and the regeneration partnership of the council and Welsh Assembly Government.”
The Vale of Glamorgan Assembly member, Jane Hutt, added “The opening of the new Primary Care Centre in the Waterfront will be widely welcomed by High Street patients. Dr Holgate and his practice team have worked tirelessly to make this important move into brand new facilities, with financial support from the Welsh Assembly Government and the backing of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. This represents yet another important boost to the regeneration of Barry.”
The building contract was undertaken by Cardiff based Opco Ltd, who also constructed the Spine Road works.
