Residents urged to have their say on £30m local health project

Residents in and around Welshpool are being invited to find out more and share their views on plans for a new £30 million health and wellbeing hub to be built in Newtown.

Powys County Council and Powys Teaching Health Board are holding a series of public drop-in sessions at Hafan yr Afon on Back Lane, Newtown, to discuss the proposals. The sessions will take place on Wednesday, October 29, from 12noon to 2pm, and on Thursday, November 6, from 4pm to 6.30pm. An online engagement session will also be held on Monday, November 10, from 6pm to 7pm, with details to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

The project forms the first phase of a wider plan to improve health and wellbeing facilities across North Powys. The initial phase focuses on Newtown and neighbouring communities, with long-term ambitions including a replacement hospital in the centre of the town.

The proposed hub aims to bring together a range of services under one roof, making it easier for residents to access health and care locally. 

It would include a new home for the public library alongside spaces for wellbeing activities, a training centre and academic library to support health and social care careers, and improved facilities for children’s services, including those relocating from Ynys Y Plant and the Newtown Integrated Family Centre. 

The plans also feature community and wellbeing areas with refreshments, support for families and mental health services for all ages, primary care facilities in a state-of-the-art environment, and new accessible features such as a ‘changing place’ in Newtown.

Public feedback gathered at the events will help shape a funding bid to be submitted to the Welsh Government later this winter. If the £30 million bid is approved and planning permission is granted, the new hub could open within three years.

A spokesperson for the North Powys Wellbeing Programme said the project aims to create a healthier, more connected community, with easier access to services that help people stay well and avoid unnecessary trips to hospital.

Details about the proposals and how to comment will also be available later this month at www.powyswellbeing.wales.