‘Once in a generation opportunity’ – 103-year-old Surrey bowling green could make way for NHS facilities

Councillors described the offer as a “once in a generation opportunity” for the people of Walton-on Thames.

Cabinet members of Elmbridge Borough Council have agreed to give the NHS the right (not obligation) to buy part of Elm Grove recreational ground on April 30.

The local NHS team is hoping to move from its current home at Walton Community Hospital on Rodney Road and build a new, state-of-the-art health hub on the land.

But the potential development would boot out Walton-on-Thames Bowling Club.

Members previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the bowls club is great for fitness, mental wellbeing and very social.

Michael Atkinson, treasurer of the club, said: “It would be an awful shame to wipe away all of that history.”

Negotiations between the council and the local NHS team have not been decided, and no planning application has been put forward yet, so the health hub is still on the drawing board.

If it all goes through, Walton Community Hospital could also be knocked down to make way for a residential development on Rodney Road, providing much needed housing in Elmbridge, the report states.

Council leader, Councillor Mike Rollings, described the offer as a “once in a generation opportunity to lift up life expectancies”.

He added: “If we don’t do this it would be a dereliction of duty.”

Councillors heard if the sale of Elm Grove does not go ahead, the NHS’ investment into an ultra-modern health hub will not be built anywhere in the borough.

The potential hub will also include seven additional services ranging from complex wound care, mental health support and maternity care- according to council documents.

Cllr Kirsty Hewens was “staggered” to find that people in Oxshott and Stoke D’abernon live around nine years longer than a person in Walton-on-Thames.

No mention was given to the average house price in Oxshott averaging at £1.5m, according to RightMove, compared to the common home in Walton-on-Thames coming in at around £684,307.

Speaking against the scheme, Cllr Gregor MacGregor said: “Bowls clubs are part of our community but they are also communities themselves.”

He explained for members who may have lost friends, husbands or wives, “it is a really good reason to keep on living”.

The Independent member for Walton Central said: “Personally I’m in doubt whether the creation of a new building and all that goes in it will make an enormous difference to life expectancy”.

He slammed the scheme as a “crazy plan” and appealed for councillors and the NHS to find the right one.

Cllr Gill Coates said: “What is going to be the biggest benefit to the biggest number of people in Elmbridge going forward? The new health centre.”

Cllr Coates said she has been “conflicted all along” but tried to balance the needs of a bowling club, of which there are many in the borough, and the “enormous benefits” from new health services locally.

It might seem strange to build a whole new NHS building from scratch rather than develop the existing site.

But the local NHS team do not own the Rodney Road site – NHS Property Services, an arm of the Department of Health, do and they cannot afford to redevelop it.

Officers described the facilities at Walton Hospital as “poor quality, fragmented” and it does not have the capacity for the future, meaning it would “severely” impact primary care services.

Instead, the local NHS team has proposed to partner with a commercial health and care developer Prime plc, to provide a new centre which the NHS will then lease from.

A council report states: “The NHS vision is to provide a high quality, sustainable building with adaptable space that will be able to react to the changing needs of the population.

“Their focus is on the well-being and wellness of the local community, on reducing hospital interventions, enhancing patient experience and staff working environment.

“This will facilitate the integration of community and primary services and create a Neighbourhood Team.”

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Macgregor said he is still optimistic and ready to challenge the council and the NHS every step of the way.

Walton Bowling Club has a lease agreement with the council until September 2028, so the council has to find a solution.

Cabinet members also agreed to continue to consider alternative options for the Walton Bowling Club, which included a commitment to reasonable financial assistance for a merger or to improve bowls facilities in the borough.