News

PRO NEW HEALTH CENTRE PETITION

Dear Editor,

I had reason to visit the Hawkinge Health Centre today and I was handed the below Information sheet and requested, by the Reception Staff, to sign a Petition supporting the proposed location of a New Health Centre at the increasing well known location of Mill Lane/The Street. I declined to sign the petition. There seems to be quite a long list, and growing, of signers.

On reading the leaflet, one can not but agree with it’s arguments, but of course it fails to address the problem posed by it’s location. It acknowledges the future increase of housing and the increase of residents/patients that will bring.

I contend that once again Shepway District Council and it’s cohorts of building developers have completely failed in planning the infrastructure of our ever growing village.

One only has to look at Finkle’s maps/photos to see that to put any development on that triangle of woodland is completely wrong. Anything built there would be completely at odds with the surrounding area.

There must be other locations about the village where such a much needed new Health Centre can be built, that will not cause such controversy, such road chaos and such damage to our shrinking woodland sites.

Surely it is not beyond the powers that be, to find such a site. We do need a new Health Centre, as the Information sheet sets out so well and I am sure it is not a case of Nimbyismn on behalf of the protestors, so surely someone can come up with a suitable alternative?


Yours hopefully


Festina Lente

THE HAWKINGE and ELHAM VALLEY PRACTICE.

THE PROPOSED NEW PREMISES - FOR PATIENT INFORMATION

On 6 September 2005, the Practice submitted plans for a new surgery to be built at thejunction of Mill Lane and The Street, Hawkinge. It appears that this planning application has been the cause of concern amongst a small number of Hawkinge residents and as a consequence, has been opposed by the Parish Council.

This opposition appears to be based on objections to the proposed location rather than any consideration of the overwhelming need for improved facilities and is a cause of real concern to the Practice. The need for this new surgery is vital and is well documented in the planning application. We have struggled for some time, to cope with growing patient numbers and are aware that planning permission has been granted for a further 500 houses. We are finding it increasingly difficult to continue in our present location and would almost certainly be unable to register the large number of additional patients who would need access to medical services, once the new homes are occupied. If we are forced to take on these additional patients it will further compound our problems and will compromise our ability to provide the high quality medical services which our patients deserve. We have recently increased our GP and Practice Nurse complement but are unable to offer a significant increase in patient access to their services as we do not have sufficient consulting room availability to enable them to work full time.

We want all of our patients to be aware that, if the Practice is not given planning approval for the proposed new premises at this time, there may not be another opportunity, when both the site and the funding are available to us, and we are concerned that the provision of medical services within Hawkinge will be seriously compromised in the future. This will present a real dilemma for the doctors and staff of the Hawkinge and Elham Valley Practice, who want to be able to provide the best possible services to all patients, but will be unable to continue to do so from their present overcrowded premises. We have considered a number of alternatives for increasing the space available to us at our present location but this would not provide an acceptable long term solution as there is insufficient room to allow for the significant expansion which is required.