Image shows how Peterborough's new Community Diagnostics Centre

An image has been released showing how Peterborough’s planned Community Diagnostics Centre will appear once completed.

The new modular building will replace the disused City Health Clinic in Wellington Street, Eastgate.

The clinic is to be demolished and replaced by a new building that will be constructed away from the city and then transported into position.

A spokesperson for the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which also runs Peterborough City Hospital, said the age of the clinic and new healthcare standards meant the old building could not be reused.

She said: “Due to its age and the work required to meet modern healthcare standards, the works to refurbish and extend the existing building costs the same as knocking it down and building a new purpose-built facility which will also adhere to our net zero carbon requirements.”

A planning application to demolish the former clinic has been submitted to Peterborough City Council.

It is hoped that construction will start early next year with the diagnostics centre due to open in late 2025.

Hannah Coffey, the trust’s chief executive, said: “The Community Diagnostic Centre is of huge benefit to our local communities.

"We know that waiting times for tests to help diagnose a condition are longer than we want them to be, and this can create additional anguish as well as a delay in treatment.

"The diagnostics centre will help us reduce waiting times and give patients a better experience, ensuring they receive results quicker.

"We are very excited to see this project evolve.”

The CDC will offer CT, MRI and DEXA scanning, as well as phlebotomy services and a direct link to the pathology services that are run at Peterborough City Hospital.

Work has been ongoing for some months to work out the demand for these diagnostic services in the city and ensure that the new facility can meet the growing needs of an expanding population.

Dr Gary Howsam, Chief Clinical Improvement Officer at NHS Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, said: “We are delighted that work is about to start on the new Community Diagnostic Centre in Peterborough.

"Once open, the centre will provide local people with the opportunity to access much-needed diagnostic tests closer to home, giving them more choice about where and when they have their tests.”