WARRINGTON and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has revealed its plans for a new £40m health and wellbeing campus in Runcorn.

Runcorn has been chosen as one of 10 places in the UK to become ‘healthy new towns’ in a government-funded programme.

As part of this, Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has announced plans to transform its site in the town.

This includes building a new Halton Hospital, GP surgeries and units for primary care practitioners.

The £40m health and wellbeing campus will also feature care homes, a short-stay rehabilitation centre and a community centre plus cafes and shops.

Social housing and homes for the elderly will also be constructed as part of the proposals.

Once approved, work is set to start with the construction of a new car park at the site between 2019 and 2021 in order to release space for other developments to be built.

The new hospital and wellbeing facility is expected to open as early as 2022, with the current Halton Hospital and Brooker Centre set to be demolished between 2023 and 2024.

Remaining buildings forming the campus will then be constructed in phases.

A spokesman for the trust said: “It has always been our vision to make the hospital an integrated community trust resource – we want patients to sit and socialise with people who live in the community, it is a holistic approach.

“We are unique as the only one of 10 health new towns in the country to have a hospital in the middle.

“It could be a blue print for the future and is the result of lots of work with our healthcare partners and talking to the community and employers.

“We showed the plans to a packed lecture theatre of staff, who said they were amazed and excited about the new designs.

“There will be no interruption in our services and everything will be transferred seamlessly.”

Members of the public are invited to give their views in events at Halton Hospital’s education centre on Tuesday, April 3, at 5pm and Sunday, April 22, at 6pm.

To register your attendance email whh.communications@nhs.net.