The opening of a new NHS facility in Nottingham’s Lister Gate has been postponed to 2026, impacting local healthcare services.
Nottingham: So, it looks like the big plan to turn some empty shops on Lister Gate into a shiny new NHS facility is running late. The new Community Diagnostic Centre, which was supposed to open in spring 2025, has now been pushed back to 2026. This is a real bummer for the area, especially since Lister Gate has been pretty deserted since the Broadmarsh closed back in 2020.
The city council had given the green light to revamp some old shops like Claire’s Accessories and Mountain Warehouse earlier this year. The idea was to set up a place where folks could get quick tests without having to go to the hospital. This would help tackle the long wait times for things like MRIs and X-rays.
Paul Matthew, the chief financial officer at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, mentioned that the delay is due to some unexpected complications that popped up before they could start building. He said they’re still working hard to get things moving, but it’s just taking longer than they thought.
It’s a tough break for Lister Gate, which has been struggling with empty shops for a while now. The city council has been trying to spruce things up, like opening a new park nearby last year and getting some funding to redevelop parts of the Broadmarsh Centre.
While this delay is disappointing, Mr. Matthew reassured everyone that they’re increasing test appointments at other locations, like Platform One near the train station. This way, patients can still get the care they need while they wait for the new centre to open.
When the new centre finally does open, it’s expected to provide a whopping 100,000 additional diagnostic appointments each year, and even more when it’s fully up and running. Plus, it’s set to create new jobs in Nottingham, which is a silver lining in all this.
