Building work on a huge new health centre on the outskirts of Norwich is set to start imminently.
Thousands will have access to a new doctors surgery as early as spring next year as plans emerge to break ground on the build on August 5.
Those local to Rackheath received a letter on Monday from Darwin Group, a healthcare facility developer, outlining the stages of the construction work.
Plans for the modular Rackheath medical centre (Image: Darwin Group)
"The building works are programmed to take place from Monday, August 5 until spring 2025," it reads.
To help manage construction time, traffic disruption and noise throughout the work, the building will be made up of 45 modules which will make up a whopping 16,000 feet of internal floor space.
All of these modules will be moved into position on the site in the space of seven working days, which is currently set to take place at the beginning of October, but the planners warn that this "is very much weather-dependent".
Councillor Martin Murrell (Image: Angela Sharpe Photography)
Martin Murrell, Conservative district councillor for the Wroxham ward, which includes Rackheath parish, has been campaigning alongside councillor Fran Whymark and MP Jerome Mayhew for the new medical facility for many years.
READ MORE: Plans emerge for 92-bed care home on city outskirts
"I am ecstatic, we are over the moon," he said.
"This is the culmination of five years of hard work from so many people in the background.
"It feels amazing to have a date when we can finally get a spade in the ground."
An artist's impression showing what the finished health hub will look like (Image: Broadland District Council)
Mr Murrell explained that the building will be a modular build both to make sure that is it built quickly and efficiently, as well as to "future-proof" it for future demand, as it can be easily added to.
"Once it is fully up and running it could have the capacity for more than 10,000 patients," he said.
"However, in the initial stages, this will likely be a couple of thousand.
"It is really important infrastructure, particularly with the amount of homes being built in the area.
"Now we just need to make sure that the staff is in place."
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