The Keighley Health and Wellbeing Centre was first announced years ago, but there has been little progress on the Town Fund backed project since then.
At a recent Bradford Council meeting where members were given an update on projects, Councillor Amjad Zaman (Lab, Keighley Central) hit out at the delays, arguing it was the most important development planned for the town.
He asked: “is it going to happen in my lifetime?”
Where will new Keighley hub be built?
Bradford Council has this week put out a statement giving an update on the project, and for the first time suggesting what health services might be based in the building.
It says the “preferred location” for the hub is still the former Keighley College site on North Street.
The statement from the council said: “The new centre will bring together a range of health, care and wellbeing services under one roof to provide community-based care, in line with the NHS 10-Year Plan.
“The centre will help address longstanding health inequalities in the area by improving access to services, bringing care pathways together, and creating a modern, welcoming environment focused on prevention, early intervention and wellbeing.
“It will also bring a significant number of jobs into the heart of Keighley.
Potential services at new Keighley health hub
“As part of ongoing discussions, a range of possible services that could be delivered from the centre are being explored.
These are not confirmed plans, but potential services could include:
Outpatient and Therapy services
Diagnostics, such as ultrasound and x-rays, improving local access and reducing the need to travel to acute sites
Minor procedures suites, enabling more care to be delivered safely in a community setting
GP services
Pharmacy
Flexible, bookable clinic and consultation space that can be used by multiple providers
Space for neighbourhood and place-based teams
Space for Public Health services such as smoking cessation clinics
“The preferred location for the new centre is on the former Keighley College brownfield site.”
‘Huge regeneration opportunity for Keighley town centre’
Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “This is a key project for ourselves, the NHS and the Keighley Towns Fund board and I’m pleased work is now gaining momentum with our partners to drive this forward.
“Health inequalities in Keighley are far too high, and this state-of-the-art health centre is the best way of tackling them.
“It’s also a huge regeneration opportunity for Keighley town centre, building on a brownfield site, so it really ticks all the boxes.
“Plans are coming on at pace, and we’re working closely with partners to confirm the details of the development, including finalising funding and planning the mix of clinical services.
“Timescales for delivery are being aligned with the requirements to ensure use of Local Regeneration Funding by March 2028 so every penny secured for Keighley through the Towns Fund will be invested in Keighley.”