Stowford Lodge Health Centre: the background

There has been a long campaign to update the current Health Centre:
Sidmouth Health centre origins - Letters - Sidmouth Herald [letter from Dr David Hall, July 2011]
See also: Futures Forum: Sidmouth Library: revamp £600k or £100k
New Sidmouth health centre hopes revealed - News - Sidmouth Herald [December 2011]
Sidmouth GPs may lose £600k DCC money - News - Sidmouth Herald [December 2011]
New Sidmouth health centre hopes “dashed” - News - Sidmouth Herald [February 2012]
Campaigners to carry on Sidmouth Health Centre fight - News - Sidmouth Herald [March 2012]

Attention is now focussing on Stowford Lodge:
Health centre hope for Sidmouth’s Stowford Lodge - News - Sidmouth Herald [May 2012]
Relocation plans submitted for Sidmouth's "outdated and cramped" health centre | Exeter Express and Echo [October 2013]
Plans for new doctors surgery in Sidmouth submitted | Exeter Express and Echo [October 2013]

And yet Stowford Lodge has housed care for dementia patients:
Sidmouth dementia carers have group support - News - Sidmouth Herald [September 2011]
See also: Futures Forum: The future of dementia in Sidmouth

There have been concerns for some time about the closure of these facilities:
Stowford Lodge Sidmouth | dementiacaredevon.co.uk [February 2011]
View From Online - News from West Dorset, East Devon & South Somerset [March 2011]


"The new website also shows that the former NHS building Stowford Lodge in East Devon is for sale."

For sale: Magistrates Court and Hospital - one careful owner... apply to Government for details | This is Exeter [January 2013]

Sidmouth Town Councillors have just enthusiastically welcomed plans for a new health centre:


13/2106/FUL
North Ward
SID VALLEY PRACTICE STOWFORD LODGE,
SEDEMUDA ROAD, SIDMOUTH. EX10 9YA.

Creation of new primary health care centre (use class D1), incorporating ancillary pharmacy, associated car parking, cycle parking, ambulance drop off zone, landscaping and boundary treatment.

Support.
Note : Concern was expressed regarding the incorporation of the ancillary pharmacy and the economic impact this could have on existing pharmacies in the Sidmouth area. It was
recommended that a business assessment be undertaken to investigate how local pharmacies are affected.

www.sidmouth.gov.uk/PDFs/planning_minutes_2013/planmin09 10 13.pdf [October 2013]
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