The charity has applied to change the use of part of the Waitrose branch, which housed a post office until 2023. If the application goes through the refurbishments could be completed by Christmas.
The area would include a back office, a soundproofed call centre, and a meeting room, all designed to improve public access to support services.
CEO Bella Farrell said the location was ideal due to its central positioning and accessible parking.
‘We felt it was the right fit for us, and Waitrose has been generous with the rent,’ she said.
‘Other options were considered, but the board felt this location gave us the best chance to serve the community effectively.’
Health Connections currently supports the coordination of more than 9,000 transport journeys each year and provides signposting to more than 700 community organisations listed on its local directory.
Ms Farrell said the new call centre would streamline the charity’s services, allowing the public to get in touch by phone, email or in person to be guided toward resources that match their needs.
‘The proposed change of use will provide a much-needed space for Health Connections to provide their essential services to the public,’ said architect Doug Langlois from architects StudiO in the application.
‘This will also create premises within a prominent, busy location which will help them engage with as many members of the public as possible.’
The part of the offices facing in towards the supermarket would have a shop frontage.
While the shop windows will allow the public to view the space within, the space will be separated from the Waitrose shop floor so as not to disturb the supermarket operations.
The area would be soundproofed to help with privacy and avoid noise bleeding in from the supermarket.
The structure has been designed using pre-made components to ensure quick and minimal construction on site.
The planning application is currently under consideration.
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