A long-awaited £10million community health centre is not expected to be up and running until November – around 11 weeks behind schedule.

East Anglian Daily Times: Topping out ceremony at the new Sudbury Community Health Centre.Topping out ceremony at the new Sudbury Community Health Centre. (Image: Archant)

Building work on the state-of-the-art facility in Church Field Road, Sudbury – which will be one of the biggest of its kind in Suffolk – has already been hit by a six week setback due to the unusually wet weather earlier in the year.

Work began at the site just over a year ago and it was originally expected to be finished by early August. This was then delayed to mid September with local health services currently operating out of the soon-to-be redundant Walnuttree and St Leonards hospitals available at the new centre by mid October.

But last night NHS West Suffolk Clinical Commissioning Group (WSCCG), which has commissioned the new building, announced a further four to five week extension to the anticipated completion date. This means the building should now be fully operational in early November.

WSCCG has renewed its commitment to deliver a state-of-the-art health facility to people in and around Sudbury via the “complex” new development.

Dr Ed Garratt, the group’s chief operating officer, said: “Major new build projects are often subject to extended completion dates and this in itself is nothing unusual.

“Despite the appalling winter we have had, the building has progressed well and these final few months will see the completion of a project. We are grateful for the community’s patience and value their continued support.”

When it opens, nine different organisations will provide services in the building ranging from paediatrics, dermatology and audiology to gynaecology, rheumatology, and speech therapy.

A leaflet is being created informing local people about NHS services that are specific to the Sudbury area.