RESIDENTS of a controversial garden village will have a new health and wellbeing hub on their doorstep, it has been revealed.

People living in the new 6,000 home Welborne garden village will have a facility on their doorstep after Fareham Borough Council and the Fareham and Gosport Clinical Commissioning Group reached an agreement.

Hampshire CCG partnership chief executive Maggie MacIsaac and chairman Dr David Chilvers met with counicl leader Cllr Seán Woodward and chief executive officer Peter Grimwood following an ongoing dispute about the provision of healthcare for the development.

It is not yet known what facilities the hub will have as this will be subject to a consultation.

Cllr Woodward said: “I am delighted that we have agreed a way forward with the CCG that will bring a health and wellbeing hub to Welborne. There are some exciting opportunities to develop innovative, hi-tech solutions in Welborne which we hope will be attractive to new residents. 

“We now expect to forge a strong partnership so that we can work together over the life of the development to get the right health services as the population grows.”

Dr Chilvers, chairman of the governing board for Fareham and Gosport CCG, added: “The CCG is committed to ensuring people have a range of high quality, local health services to meet their needs.

“New technology, an ageing population and a shortage of GPs means that we have to change the way that care is provided in the future to ensure that we can deliver that commitment. 

“Fareham is already one of the areas pioneering web consultations for GPs and a new ‘same day’ GP service will be available to 40,000 people in the autumn to help manage the demands on local GP practices and cut waiting times for patients.”

Mark Thistlewayte, principal of Buckland Development, the prospective developers for Welborne said: “The plans have always included provision for proper and appropriate healthcare facilities so personally I hope that the healthcare delivery will include provision for GPs.”

As previously reported, a leaked letter addressed from Fareham health bosses to council planners said that there were “no plans” to honour provision in the proposed Welborne scheme for a new health centre but now initial progress has been made.

However, opposition councillors remain critical.

Councillor Roger Price, leader of the local Liberal Democrats, said:  “A community of that size that should have a doctor’s surgery, you cannot move 12,000 people in without one.

“This news has not resolved the basic issue of residents of Welborne being able to have basic access to GPs on their doorstep.”