People in Brampton will be asked to give their views on the best place to bring together a number of local services on Monday (16 June) at the next meeting of the Brampton and District Neighbourhood Forum.
The results of recent public consultations by the county council and Cumbria Primary Care Trust show a preference for joining together public services such as residential care, community hospital beds and medical centres.
The county council and Carlisle City Council in reviewing the services and property they hold in the town have also identified the potential benefits of working together to share services and property.
With this in mind the county council, the Primary Care Trust, Carlisle City Council and other key local stakeholders including the Brampton Medical Practice, The Parish Council and the Community Centre have been looking at how to deliver the benefits of shared services and co-location.
On Monday, local residents will be asked for their views on where such a facility might be based in Brampton if councillors and other local decision-makers decide to approve the concept later this year.
Two possible sites have been identified that would have room for the buildings –land off Union Lane, and Gelt Rise –and residents are being asked to take part in the evaluation process of those sites.
The Land off Union Lane is where the Community Centre and Irthing Centre are currently located and the use of this site would be subject to confirmation on how the services currently provided there will be delivered in the future. The land at Gelt Rise is currently in agricultural use. The development would be subject to planning.
At the neighbourhood forum, which starts at 7pm at Brampton Junior School, local people will be asked to consider the options that are developing and to provide feedback on what they consider to be important about where the new facility might be built.
For example should it be in or near the town centre, have access to car parking, be accessible by public transport or on the edge of town or in some other location?
In addition to bringing together care services there is also an opportunity to incorporate other public sector or community services such as a library, children’s centre, customer contact centre and the services currently provided by the Community Centre. Residents will be asked to consider these and any other services that might benefit from being located in the same place.
As well as discussing a possible site for combined public services in the town, the forum is also looking for views on BT’s proposal to remove 27 phone boxes in the district, a number of which are in the forum area. The city council has been asked to consult on the removal of the phone boxes and needs responses by 27 June.
Local county councillor Lawrence Fisher will be chairing the meeting. He said: "These are exactly the sort of issues that neighbourhood forums are able to deal with so well.
"We really do need your views about where you think is the best place to base important local services and what you consider to be the key issues should Brampton get a new, combined facility."
ENDS
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