Construction has begun on a £880,000 resource centre in Halesworth, to support patients and their families.

The Pear Tree Centre, which will be on land adjacent to Cutlers Hill Surgery, will offer a range of support services to patients suffering from cancer or other life-limiting illnesses along with their families and friends.

Daniel Connal Partnership (DCP), with offices in Norwich, Colchester and London, is working as project managers on the development.

The project has been designed by award-winning architects lsi and will see a 180m² single storey building be constructed to sit alongside the already existing Cutlers Hill Surgery.

The building’s appearance is a simple palette with elevations of brick and timber cladding, zinc coloured roofs and composite aluminium windows.

The form is two pitched roof elements linked with a lightweight flat roofed glass link – to help direct visitors to the entrance while providing a view into the lounge and garden.

Senior partner at DCP, Robert Dale said: “The Pear Tree Centre will provide vital information and support services to the community, and we are very proud to be part of the team working to deliver it.”

The Halesworth Community Nursing Care Fund (HCNCF), a local charity established in 1989, has worked with the local community to help raise the funds for the development.

Mr Ted Edwards, co-chair of the Pear Tree Centre project said: “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported our fundraising drive, and look forward to watching the Pear Tree Centre rise from the ground over the coming months so that it can start to bring real benefits to local people.”

The plan is for the building to be fully operational by the end of the year.