Building work at GP surgery could begin next month as new bus service confirmed

Building work at a new GP surgery in Lynn is set to begin next month – with an additional bus service announced to service it.

A business case for the new Wave 4b Hub at Nar Ouse Way in South Lynn was approved by the Primary Care Commissioning Committee last month, leaving just the NHS itself to give the project the green light.

Planning permission for the development, which would house GP services and outpatient services from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, has also been sealed, and an NHS decision is expected this month.

And with the building planned to be open by May next year, Norfolk County Council has already confirmed a new bus service that will stop at the facilities.

On the new GP surgery, a spokesperson for NHS Norfolk and Waveney told the Lynn News: “The planned new-build health centre in Nar Ouse Way will help to meet demand for primary care and wider health services in Lynn now, and to meet the growing demand from the planned expansion of Lynn.

“It will be known as King’s Lynn Health Hub, and the building will be a modern, fully accessible, and digitally enabled facility that will help to transform how health and care services are delivered in the Lynn area and increase access to services for people in the town and surrounding areas.”

The county council has now confirmed a new 3H Town Link bus service that will pass by the centre on its route.

Starting yesterday, the service – run by Go To Town – departs Lynn’s bus station seven times a day on weekdays and six times on Saturdays, and also travels to the new St James Medical Practice in South Wootton.

The service will also serve Vancouver Avenue and Tennyson Avenue, providing access to the College of West Anglia and surrounding schools, as well as stopping on both Sandpiper and Dragonfly Way in South Lynn, and the North Lynn Industrial Estate.

The new route is part of Norfolk County Council’s plans to provide a “comprehensive service in Lynn, giving residents the option to reduce car use and to link all areas of the town”.

Graham Plant, the county council’s cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said: “Being able to bring this new service to Lynn, to connect parts of the town and even bring unused bus stops back into use as key links is exactly what we fought to secure this funding from the Department for Transport for.

“We are giving drivers the choice to leave their cars at home for some journeys, and making sure that those who don’t drive have regular, affordable transport to key parts of the town.”

A single trip on the service will cost £1.50 under the flat fares recently introduced in the town.

The new timetable can be found on https://www.gtt-online.co.uk/bus-routes/3h/

Lesley Bambridge, the county councillor for Lynn North and Central, added: “I feel sure that these new services will help alleviate the concerns of residents about getting to the new surgeries, something that has been raised with me. It is very welcome news.”