Expansion plans for former Covid vaccination site

Plans to keep a temporary health centre in York open for another two years have been lodged.

NHS provider Nimbuscare, which runs the facility at the former Askham Bar park and ride off Tadcaster Road, also wants to further expand its site.

Its application stated the centre was helping to relieve pressure on York Hospital and reduce patient waiting times

It would offer services including vaccines, coronavirus recovery care and blood-taking as well as hosting GPs and benefits and financial advisers.

The plans would see the centre expanded to include between 10 and 20 treatment rooms for patients attending appointments - and up to 30 staff would be on-site while it operated.

On-site parking would be expanded to 214 spaces, including eight parent and child and 19 disabled bays along with 55 for staff and 10 for motorcycles.

There would also be 34 cycle spaces and lockers and spaces for mobility scooters at the front of the buildings, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Nimbuscare first opened a mass Covid vaccination centre on the site in 2020, with the application stating that there were more than 600,000 visits from patients from 2020 to 2022.

As well as health services, the application said Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and Citizens Advice financial advisors would also be based there.

The application stated that the centre was designed to bring services into local neighbourhoods which people would previously have had to travel for.

The York Council-owned site is set to be made available for housing after the extended two-year lifespan.

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