Work has begun to fit out a new health centre at Beam Park in Rainham which will provide GP and community health services for thousands of local people.
Expected to open in 2024, Beam Park Health Centre will be built over two floors of a 12-storey building in Halewood Way. It will provide a new GP surgery as well as a range of other specialist GP-led services to meet the needs of those living in and near Beam Park.
The 1,500 square metre space will include 22 consulting rooms, three interview rooms, one enhanced treatment room and an open plan office with space for 25 desks.
Plans for the new health centre were agreed as part of the planning approval for Countryside Partnerships’ and L&Q’s 3,000-home regeneration of the former Ford factory site. The plans have been drawn up by the local NHS working closely with Barking and Dagenham and Havering councils, Countryside Partnerships and L&Q.
Work is now under way on the fit-out of the new centre, following the successful completion of the external and shell elements of the building.
Sarah See, Managing Director for Primary Care at NHS North East London, said:
“It’s really exciting to see work starting on the new health centre which will be a fantastic asset to the local community.
“As well as providing a range of vital health services for Beam Park residents, it will play an important role in the work we are doing with our local partners to address health inequalities and encourage healthier lifestyles. Having access to high quality services in modern facilities will help people stay fit and well and enable them to lead healthy lives.”
Councillor Ray Morgon, Leader of Havering Council, said:
“A new health centre will be a welcome addition to this new development and will provide vital health services for the new Beam Park community. It will ensure residents have access to the latest facilities in a tailor-made centre on their doorstep.”
Councillor Maureen Worby, Cabinet Member for Adults Social Care and Health Integration for Barking and Dagenham Council, said:
“Building on the success of securing the new Community Diagnostic Centre at Barking Hospital, the new Beam Park Health Centre together with the health facility commissioned on the Riverside development, will provide residents with access to better quality primary care in underserved areas of the borough. This is part of the Council’s ambition to improve and enhance services for residents, so they have access to appropriate and good quality services in their local area”.
Kevin Delve, Managing Director, East London, Countryside Partnerships, said:
“The exterior completion of the new health centre is a significant milestone in the progress of the first two phases of Beam Park, where we have now delivered almost two-thirds of the planned 1,158 homes. Alongside the newly opened nursery, this is proof of our commitment to delivering community facilities alongside these new homes as we transform the former Ford factory into a thriving community.”
Darren Parker, Director of Development and Regeneration, L&Q, said:
“Social infrastructure and access to excellent community facilities are key ingredients in L&Q’s placemaking agenda, alongside the delivery of high-quality affordable homes. For this reason, we are delighted to commence the fit-out of the new health centre at Beam Park, which will soon offer services to thousands of residents in the local community.”
Beam Park is one of only three regeneration schemes in London delivering at least 3,000 homes and providing 50% high quality affordable housing (including shared ownership, London Living Rent and London Affordable rent homes) to meet the need of local communities. The first two phases of the development, comprising 1,158 new homes and community facilities, are well under way with more than 750 homes now completed.
When complete, Beam Park will have extensive facilities including two schools, retail spaces, a gym, a nursery, a multi-faith centre and two state-of-the-art energy centres. Around 44% of the development has been allocated for publicly accessible green space, which includes a 3.5-hectare central park in the heart of the development with the River Beam running through it.
