Council land being donated for second diagnostics centre
Alison Stephenson Local Democracy Reporter
06:00, 20 Mar 2026
A second community diagnostics centre could be built next to this one under construction at Colin Campbell Court in Plymouth(Image: Alison Stephenson)
Plymouth City Council is donating land to the NHS so a second community diagnostics centre (CDC) can be built in the city’s West End.
A planning application will shortly be submitted for a four-storey building at Colin Campbell Court designed to complement the services of the first £25 million NHS England funded centre which is due to be completed in May and will welcome the first patients on June 23.
The side by side facilities will significantly expand diagnostic capacity for the local population, says University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.
CDC2 will be smaller but could also be a primary care venue where local GP surgeries will be relocated.
It will house advanced diagnostic equipment including an additional MRI scanner, DEXA scanning facilities and ultrasound services, alongside dedicated consult rooms for cancer care pathways and specialised clinics for phlebotomy and Point of Care Testing (POCT).
The trust says that this project is a key component of a nationally recognised NHS model of care that aims to provide essential healthcare services closer to where patients live, thereby reducing the pressure on acute hospital sites and improving the overall patient experience.
A ‘health village’ is part of Plymouth City Council ’s plan for the regeneration of the West End to tackle health inequalities and support the early detection of disease.
The council and NHS trust are asking people to take part in a public consultation on the second community diagnostics centre by going to the website www.plymouthhospitalstrust.nhs.uk
Council cabinet member for finance and city centre champion Cllr Mark Lowry (Lab, Southway ) said this multi million pound land deal where the council would transfer the site to the NHS for a nominal fee of £1, as it did with the first CDC, would ensure the development could happen in a timely manner.
“We are working proactively with NHS England to get a health village in the city centre. Our land is being donated which makes this project financially viable.
“As well as bringing healthcare closer to the people, improving patients’ experience and taking pressure off the acute hospital at Derriford it will also drive footfall into our high street.”
Cabinet member for health and adult social care Mary Aspinall (Lab, Sutton and Mount Gould) said: “This is really welcome news. We are really pleased we have been able to support the land for CDC2. There is also ample space to provide better and more disabled parking especially if the three GP surgeries come here.
“We want to provide the best health services we can for the people living in this area of Plymouth who can also benefit from the local shopping experience with things like the market and fresh food and vegetables stalls next door.”
Cllr Aspinall said with the recently opened dental training clinic in New George Street and the community diagnostic centres, it showed that Plymouth City Council was “taking health seriously”.
She told a city council meeting on Monday that 120 contractors were working at the CDC1 site each day to keep the project on programme.
The scaffolding was coming down and internal works to install specialist equipment were happening “at pace”
Once fully operational the centre will see 330 patients a day through the doors and 91,600 imaging tests will be carried out each year plus a range of other tests.
Recruitment is underway for 120 staff who will work at CDC1 and support the new services. Others will be transferred from Derriford to make up a 190-strong workforce.
Cllr Aspinall said teams from phlebotomy, audiology, imaging and physical measurements had visited the site to review their future work spaces and had been working with contractors BAM Construction and their consultants to provide expert help to finalise the building.
“We want a really good experience for patients,” said Cllr Aspinall. “Once opened the CDC will provide a comprehensive range of tests, scans and checks in a convenient city centre setting and buses will be stopping outside.”
Drivers will also be able to use the council’s Western Approach car park opposite.
Tests will include CT and MRI scans, ultrasound, cardiology, electro cardiograms, blood pressure monitoring, lung tests, spirometry including bronchodilator response, ECG, EEG, there will be a pacemaker clinic, simple field tests like six minute walk on treadmill and sleep investigations
“These services will then be able to be released from Derriford to make diagnoses closer to home much faster,” said the councillor.