Clinic plans may be turned down

Plans to build a clinic which could care for 40,000 people a year are set to be refused by councillors.

Kettering General Hospital wants to move its outpatient services to the clinic at nearby Irthlingborough.

It would replace Rushden Memorial Clinic and, it is hoped, result in fewer patients at the hospital.

Officers at East Northamptonshire Council are concerned about access from the nearby A45 and recommended council members reject the plan on Wednesday.

The clinic is earmarked for a site close to the Rushden and Diamonds' football ground and would provide a wide range of services, health chiefs said.

These include general surgery, urology, trauma and orthopaedics, cardiology, X-ray and dermatology services.

'Biggest issue'

The hospital said its buildings were "old and outdated" and the Rushden Memorial Clinic had a "limited life".

Peter Bone, MP for Wellingborough, said the whole scheme was the biggest issue to affect his constituents since he became an MP.

More than 6,000 people had forwarded him their objections to the closure of the Rushden clinic.

"It seems extraordinary that the trust wants to put the new outpatients facility in to a town which only has a population of 8,000," he added.

Planners said they were not convinced that enough had been done to improve access from the nearby A45 and to encourage people to leave the car at home.

They believe it would "ideally" be located in a town centre.

Kettering General Hospital's chief executive Dr Mark Newbold said it had listened to people's concerns and made arrangements for a regular local bus service to the site.

"The trust is extremely disappointed to learn that the planning officer is recommending refusal," he added.

"We hope councillors will choose to support the application so that this much needed increase in services can be delivered from a new building next year."