New Healthy Living Centre set for Chatham Shopping Centre

A new £15M healthy living centre is set to open in Chatham next year as part of a wider regeneration project taking place at the Pentagon Shopping Centre, transforming underutilised space into valuable assets for the community.

Supported by the NHS with a £13.4M investment, the new James Williams Healthy Living Centre is set to provide crucial health services to the wider community of Medway. Inclusive of two GP practices and a pharmacy, the centre will offer routine screenings and consultations, as well as educational workshops and services aimed at promoting long-term health and wellbeing.

The centre has been named in memory of the late Director of Public Health for Medway, who sadly passed away earlier this year. James was an inspirational figure and a huge driving force behind improving health outcomes across Medway, as well as addressing health inequalities across the southeast region.

This new dedicated healthcare space is being delivered as a direct response to Medway having some of the highest levels of deprivation in the UK, and levels of obesity and premature death that are higher than the national average. Demand for GP practice services in the area is also expected to increase over the next five years, due to an ageing and more medically complex population, and new housing developments.

A key design driver for the project has been to maximise the limited amount of natural daylight received from a single rooflight in what is essentially a landlocked site. A large open plan waiting area, which connects all services within the centre, has been placed under the roof light, creating a sense of space and helping to soothe patients.

Natural materials are to be incorporated extensively throughout the centre, and internal finish colours are reminiscent with those found in nature, helping to provide a calming environment for both staff and patients.

Paul Bentley, NHS Kent and Medway Chief Executive, said: “This is outstanding news for the people we serve in the Chatham area. We know more needs to be done in parts of Medway to help improve people’s health and wellbeing and this healthy living centre will help people access the right care, in the right place.”

LSI Architects are also working alongside Medway Council to deliver an innovation hub to the first floor of the shopping centre, which is scheduled to open this autumn. Named Ascend, the new innovation hub will offer co-working spaces, private offices and meeting rooms for start-ups and growing businesses.

The hub has been designed to provide a ‘people-centric’ environment that drives collaboration and inspiration by incorporating principles of biophilic design similar to that of the James Williams Healthy Living Centre.