Community centre housing mental health services prepared for sale by Peterborough council

A community centre which houses mental health services is being prepared for sale.

Peterborough City Council (PCC) has announced its intention to sell 441 Lincoln Road, home to the Samaritans, Alzheimer’s Society and NHS Memory Clinic.

Terms of sale have been agreed with a “well-supported local independent school”, it says, which will relocate to the building. It has previously been occupied by City College Peterborough.

Cllr John Howard (Peterborough First, Hargate and Hempsted) said he understands the sale is a “very emotive decision”, but that the council has the current tenants’ “best interests at heart”.

“All of those groups are with us and they’re supporting what we’re offering them going forward,” he said. “People look at the services they provide and think it can only be done in that building so it can create nervousness. But I’m really confident about this one.”

Potential alternatives have already been found for the Memory Clinic, run by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), and the Alzheimer’s Society, the council says.

Because the Dementia Resource Centre, run by the society, is provided on the council's behalf, it has an extra obligation to ensure it's provided for.

The buyer has also told the council it may be willing to continue housing the services until they’re relocated, a PCC report says.

In any case, both the Samaritans and the Memory Clinic have clauses in their leases requiring a year’s notice before they’re compelled to leave.

This will be served after PCC’s cabinet signs off on the sale of the building, which is expected to happen on Friday, 22nd March.

The sale is part of a wider review of all of the council’s assets which began in summer last year.

PCC is combing through the buildings it owns to determine which it should retain, repurpose or release, to save cash.

Others, including Thorney Community Centre and Library, Walton Community Centre and 318 Gladstone Street, are already in the process of being sold.

What services are offered at 441 Lincoln Road?

The Samaritans is a charity aimed at “reducing feelings of isolation and disconnection”, best known for its 24/7 helpline for people experiencing poor mental health.

Its Peterborough branch also holds outreach sessions with local schools and the university, as well as offering training to prisoners at HMP Peterborough and HMP North Sea Camp to provide emotional support to their peers.

The Alzheimer’s Society also has a helpline for support with managing the condition.

It also provides information and practical help.

The Memory Clinic, finally, supports over-65s with memory problems as well as mental health conditions including anxiety, depression and psychosis.

It offers assessments with nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists.