Stakeholders involved in the project to turn Pauls Moss into a community health hub housing a GP surgery have given an update on their progress.

Steve Ellis, head of primary care at Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, attended the Whitchurch Town Council full meeting alongside Dr Tim Lyttle from the Bridgewater Street surgery to give an update from health bosses.

Mr Ellis told councillors progress was being made and that Shropshire Council was taking the lead on the project.

“There was a meeting before Christmas,” he said.

“A number of stakeholders were involved and made some progress into the Pauls Moss site. Shropshire Council has taken the lead and a prominent role in development – it will be multi-use, not just a surgery, but a pharmacy etc.

“The public engagement event at the Civic was well attended and feedback is overwhelming that the hub is wanted by the town.

“We will come back after the business case is presented, probably around March. The practices are working very closely together, not just on the project but on healthcare in town.”

Shropshire councillor Gerald Dakin, who represents Whitchurch South, later gave an update on the authority’s role in the process.

He used briefing notes from Tim Smith, head of business enterprise and commercial services, which set out four different issues.

Firstly, the project description was described as a ‘collaboration across various partner organisations to deliver a unique and innovative scheme that provides the people of Whitchurch with modern healthcare that is fully integrated with specialist housing and other support services’.

Cllr Dakin added the project had received funding of £75,000 from the government and also told the meeting the capital cost of the project was estimated at £15 million, creating up to 90 jobs and 78 new homes.

The council was considering buying land adjacent to Pauls Moss to improve access to the estate as it currently has just one way in and out.

The scheme’s finish date is pencilled in for 2021 and Shropshire Council’s next steps will be to continue meetings with relevant stakeholders.