Vote on where you want Merton's new multi-million pound health centre to be

That is the question posed by health bosses who proposed four different sites around Mitcham for a state-of-the-art facility.

Up to 50 people packed into The Hub in Bishopsford Road, Morden, last night to look at four different plans for the health centre which could house a number of services including mental health, walk-in and diagnostics.

What facilities it would have would depend on which site was chosen because they are different sizes.

The sites are: Birches Close, Raleigh Gardens, Sibthorpe Road and the Wilson Hospital, all of which were voted on by attendees of the meeting hosted by NHS Merton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG.)

An aerial view of the Wilson Hospital site.

Speaking after the meeting, Sandra Vogel of the Mitcham Cricket Green Community and Heritage Group said: “It is great that people are being involved at an early stage and it was good to see so many people turn out.

“Both Birches Close and the Wilson were bequeathed by a philanthropist Isaac Wilson for community use.”

A panel of experts who included Marc Levinson, director of Murphy Philipps Architects, Kay Eilbert, the director of public health for Merton, and Sue Howson, programme director for Better Healthcare Closer to Home, presented each option.

The audience was then invited to vote on criteria including how accessible the site was, the level of disruption to current services and the suitability of the location.

The results will be analysed by the team and published in November.

Adam Doyle, director of commissioning and planning at Merton CCG said mental health facilities at Birches Close, an NHS owned facility near Cricket Green, would be temporarily moved to the Wilson Hospital site, if it was chosen.

Rayleigh Gardens, pictured below, currently a Merton Council owned car park, has no access for vehicles.

It would have a car park for disabled people but public car parks elsewhere would need to be used. Proposals for a four storey building were put forward.

Sibthorpe Road, pictured below, another council owned site, could house a six storey building, with ‘minimal impact on the local community.’

Its central location and good public transport links went in the site’s favour, although drivers would have to use public car parks.

The final proposal for the Wilson Hospital in Cranmer Road, had a largely positive reaction from attendees.

The attendees heard the NHS owned site has good access for cars, with parking on site and good public transport links.

Existing mental health services would need to be moved for building work.

Speaking at the meeting, Kay Eilbert said: “Cancer is the biggest killer in Merton but the biggest killer is heart disease in east Merton.

"Life expectancy is shorter in east Merton."

She said the CCG wanted to bring acute services back to the community.

The CCG will host a second meeting, Engage Merton, on Thursday, October 16, from 1.30pm at The Hub.