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Plans for new community facilities on display for Weybridge residents

The latest plans for a new healthcare centre, library and road improvements in Weybridge will be on display for residents to view later this month.

Residents can get a first look at recent progress on the proposals and meet decision makers at a drop-in session on Wednesday 25 January between 3pm-7pm. The plans can also be viewed at a pop-up display every day from Monday 23 to Friday 27 January anytime between 9am and 4pm. Both will be held at Weybridge Community Centre, Churchfield Place, KT13 8BZ.

The proposals are part of a project driven by partners across health and local government in Weybridge including North West Surrey Health and Care Alliance, Surrey County Council, Elmbridge Borough Council and NHS Surrey Heartlands. The immediate priority is to build the health campus following a fire, which destroyed Weybridge Community Hospital in 2017. The new health centre, which will be delivered by NHS Property Services, will provide state-of-the-art accommodation for two local GP practices, same day urgent care, ultrasound and blood testing, a range of children’s and women’s services and mental health support.

The project to improve the roads within Weybridge town centre aims to reduce air pollution and congestion, as well as creating a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists. Residents will be able to view proposals and provide feedback on the plans.

Weybridge library will be refurbished, to bring it up to modern energy efficiency standards, in line with Surrey County Council’s commitment to be carbon net zero by 2030. The public event will show the aims for the improved library facility and an outline of the services it will provide.

Jack Wagstaff, Place Leader and Alliance Chief Officer, said:

“Working with our partners we want to deliver a brand new, first-class health facility as part of a wider, vibrant community hub for local people and staff. A vital part of our process is sharing our progress and getting feedback from local people and using this to develop modern, high-quality services that meet their needs for generations to come.”

Tim Oliver, County Councillor for Weybridge, said:

“This is an exciting time for Weybridge as we see real progress in the plans for renewing their town and facilities. We want to create future-proofed facilities that serve everyone in the community throughout their lives and I hope local people continue to give us their feedback.”

Simon Taylor, Estates Strategy Director for NHS Property Services, said:

“We are very pleased to be leading the development of the new health centre as part of this wider programme of works in Weybridge, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate closely with our local NHS partners and wider stakeholders. The new facility will provide the local community and our NHS colleagues with a modern, future-proofed building from which to work and access vital healthcare services, both now and in the years to come.”

For anyone who can’t attend the pop-up display or drop-in session, the materials will be available to view and comment on at https://weybetterweybridge.commonplace.is/from 23 January.

Posted on 12th January 2023

by Surrey County Council and North West Surrey Health and Care Alliance

WeyBetter Weybridge public event

On Friday 20 May, Surrey County Council, North West Surrey Alliance, NHS Surrey Heartlands Clinical Commissioning Group and Elmbridge Borough Council hosted a public event about the WeyBetter Weybridge programme in St James Church.

During the five-hour event, over 250 residents visited and spent time reading the display boards, talking to key decision makers from across the organisations involved and leaving feedback about the programme. The event allowed for rich, in-depth conversations between local residents and stakeholders, enabling them to gain a deeper understanding and awareness of the situation.

Attending the event to speak to residents were Dr Ben Spencer, MP for Runnymede and Weybridge, Cllr Tim Oliver, County Councillor for Weybridge and Leader of Surrey County Council, Jack Wagstaff, Place Leader, North West Surrey Alliance, Ian Smith, Designate Chair for the Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board and Marie Snelling, Executive Director for Customer and Communities, Surrey County Council as well as officers involved in the programme.

Tim Oliver, Weybridge County Councillor said, “This is an extremely important project for the residents of Weybridge and I was delighted to be able to attend and speak to so many people who are passionate about the services in their local area. Our full focus now will be on delivering the project and providing modern services for everyone.”

The WeyBetter Weybridge programme was created following the fire that destroyed the health centre in 2017. Realising the opportunity this presented, the programme aims renew the health campus and library, improve nearby road junctions and create a new public realm space at the heart of the town, for use by the community.

Jack Wagstaff, Place Leader, North West Surrey Health and Care Alliance said: “It was wonderful to see so many local Weybridge residents at this event.

“We had so much interesting and insightful discussion and, working together, have the opportunity to develop a facility in Weybridge that will be an asset to the local community for years to come. I would like to thank everyone who gave up their time to come along and help shape the future of local health services.”

The public event provided an opportunity for residents to see progress so far and speak with key decision makers. Display boards around the venue showed a range of information including a summary of all the research and feedback from residents to date, plans for the road improvements, proposals for the library redevelopment and information about the services that will be available in the new health campus.

Also on display were artist’s impressions of what the site could look like, with improvements designed to connect the north and south sides of Church Street and create a more pedestrian-friendly environment for residents. A video showed a fly through of the proposed site layout, enabling people to see how both sites, either side of Church Street, would work together.

Importantly for residents, the event also provided a timeline for the construction of the health campus. Detailed designs and the planning application are expected later this year, with a decision expected next year, along with the tendering and contracts process. The building should be complete by the end of 2025, with the facility expected to open to residents in the first half of 2026.

Local resident of 44 years, R.W. from Oatlands, said “I attended the public event at St James Church to understand the progress made on the WeyBetter Weybridge programme. At the event there was ample opportunity to view the plans for our town and, importantly, the progress towards the rebuilding of the Weybridge health campus site after the fire in 2017.

“Commitment to the complex project was apparent by the welcome attendances, allowing time for open and individual exchanges with Dr Ben Spencer MP and Cllr Tim Oliver, as well as senior officials from across the healthcare organisations planning the new health campus and its services.

“Plans for the library, traffic management and the environment could also be viewed and discussed with officials from Elmbridge Borough Council and Surrey County Council.

“I hope the stakeholders in this project continue to share the plans in this worthwhile way with the community into the future.”

As well as providing information, the event also gave residents the chance to give feedback on the proposals and what their priorities are for the facilities and services. Feedback ranged from a suggestion of a footpath to access the new health campus to requests for services that should be provided and ideas on how to better integrate the different spaces and buildings, such as opening the library from the back onto the proposed public realm space.

For anyone who missed the event in person, the display boards will be available to view in the library for a few weeks. The information from the event has also been placed on this website and there is also the chance to provide feedback here.

A further event has been proposed for later in the year, when it is hoped that more detailed plans for the site will be available.

Posted on 27th May 2022

by Surrey County Council

WeyBetter Weybridge public exhibition to update on plans to create a state-of-the-art community and health and wellbeing hub for local people

On Friday 20 May, Surrey County Council, North West Surrey Alliance, NHS Surrey Heartlands Clinical Commissioning Group and Elmbridge Borough Council are hosting a public exhibition in St James Church, Weybridge. Dr Ben Spencer, MP for Runnymede and Weybridge will also be in attendance to speak to residents.

The event is to share the work to date that has been undertaken on the re-development of community and health services in the area, along with a series of planned road improvements.

The town centre development includes plans to build a brand new health campus, and a planned redevelopment of the library to create a modern, purpose-built space that will be a vibrant hub for the local community for generations to come.

Residents of Weybridge and the surrounding area are invited to come along between 2-7pm to hear an update and get an idea of how the site could look, find out about the type of services that could be provided, have the opportunity to speak to key decision-makers and share their initial feedback.

Leader of Surrey County Council, Tim Oliver, said, “I’m delighted we’re able to host this event and present plans to local people for the renewal of their town and facilities. The WeyBetter Weybridge programme is a unique opportunity to deliver modern facilities across a range of services to meet the needs of residents now and into the future, ensuring no one is left behind.”

Jack Wagstaff, Place Leader for North West Surrey Health and Care Alliance said: “This event gives us the opportunity to update local people on the work that has been happening in collaboration with our partners to develop and modernise services in Weybridge.

“This is an exciting opportunity to deliver a brand new, first-class, health facility as part of a much wider vibrant community hub for local people and our staff.” The event will be held in the church from 2-7pm and people can visit at any time. If people are unable to attend the event itself, the information will be located in the library until the end of May and available online after the event.

Local leaders will be at the event to talk to local people and hear their views. Leaders include:

  • Tim Oliver, Leader of Surrey County Council
  • Dr Ben Spencer, MP for Runnymede and Weybridge
  • Marie Snelling, Executive Director for Customer and Communities, Surrey County Council
  • Ian Smith, Designate Chair for the Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board
  • Jack Wagstaff, Place Leader, North West Surrey Alliance
  • This event is an opportunity for us to share our progress to date on the planned transformation of the site and our early ideas on how the space could work and look. As the WeyBetter Weybridge programme develops, there will be plenty of opportunity for local people and partners to have their say to ensure the proposals meet the needs of local people and local communities.

    Posted on 13th May 2022

    by Surrey County Council, North West Surrey Alliance, NHS Surrey Heartlands Clinical Commissioning Group and Elmbridge Borough Council