Plans for the third and most ambitious ‘one-stop shop’ in Nottingham, earmarked for Bulwell in 2010, made more progress this week when Nottingham City Council approved its financial contribution.

The new building, on a site on Main Street, near the River Leen and Bulwell Bogs, will incorporate Nottingham City Council, Nottingham City Homes and Nottingham City Primary Care Trust services. Bulwell Library and Bulwell Club One youth club are due to re-locate there along with local play facilities, community, housing and social care services plus voluntary services such as welfare rights advice.

The proposed £22 million joint service centre is to be developed by the Greater Nottingham LIFT Company under a public private partnership agreement.

The Government has approved a Public Finance Initiative (PFI) credit of £22.225 million for the joint service centre to provide council, health and housing facilities under one roof. This week the City Council’s Executive Board approved the scheme, including an annual funding contribution of £634,000 from 2010. Building work is due to start in 2008.

Nottingham had already secured £10 million PFI credits towards two LIFT joint service centres in Clifton and Hyson Green. The Clifton Cornerstone was opened last year and the first phase of The Mary Potter Centre in Hyson Green was successfully opened in April with existing services from the former Health Centre relocating to the new facility. Further phases this year will see the Acorn Resource Centre move into their new premises with final completion of the joint service centre planned for summer 2008.

Councillor Eunice Campbell, Nottingham City Council’s Portfolioholder for Personnel, Equalities and Access, said: “The centre at Bulwell is the most ambitious, incorporating a library, youth and play facilities and voluntary and community sector organisations as well as the council, health and housing services.

“The new centre is a major regeneration project for Bulwell. It should help in the transformation of Bulwell and provide joined-up efficient and effective service provision for the local people of Bulwell and the surrounding area.”

Samantha Walters, Director of Corporate Development at Nottingham City Primary Care Trust, says: “The public and patients from across the city are already benefiting from the development of these new One-Stop Centres – with Clifton Cornerstone fully functional and GP services operating from Hyson Green’s Mary Potter Centre and with more services set to move in soon. This new initiative in Bulwell is set to bring similar benefits to the population in the north of the city and we are very excited at the opportunities that will be created.”