Health hub delays provide positive news for community events

Parts of Newtown’s old Town Hall grounds will remain available for community events next year because of delays to the town’s health and wellbeing development.

Newtown Town Council will be told on Monday that two areas within the grounds, identified in its report as plots A and B, will not be needed for the health project in 2027.

The update allows community events, including the Newtown Food Festival, to be planned on the land while work continues to secure arrangements for the first phase of the North Powys Wellbeing Programme.

The report states: “Plots A&B will not be needed in 2027 so community events can be planned on those spaces.”

No individual events or bookings are identified.

The development delay was announced in September, when Powys Teaching Health Board and Powys County Council confirmed that further work was needed before the first phase could proceed.

MyNewtown reported last month that a consultation on the building plans, expected this autumn, would not take place as scheduled.

The first phase is planned for the Y Parc offices site and would bring together health, care and wellbeing services, including community dental services, specialist clinics and training facilities.

An earlier programme envisaged construction during 2027 to 2028 and completion during 2028 to 2029. A revised timetable is not included in the town council’s latest papers.

Welsh Government approval of the Outline Business Case in March had brought nearly £30 million of potential investment a step closer.

The town council report says the project is delayed “while work continues to secure the appropriate arrangements to take forward the first phase of the project”.