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06
Jul

A new entrance at Harrogate District Hospital is much needed and will help to give the hospital a fresh look, the trust’s chief executive has said.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has drawn up plans to refurbish the front entrance of the building on Lancaster Park Road.
The scheme is part of a wider internal refurbishment at the hospital which includes its cafe, waiting areas and reception area.
Speaking to the Stray Ferret about the proposals, Jonathan Coutler, chief executive of the trust, said the entrance to the site had not been addressed for some 30 years.
He said the current facade looked “tired” and was in need of a refurbishment.
Mr Coulter said:
The reason for doing it is that it must be 30 years since it was looked at and it is very, very tired and not something that we are particularly proud of in terms of the hospital.
The move would see a single storey extension built to the entrance on Lancaster Park Road, which would create additional communal and retail space.
According to proposals submitted to the North Yorkshire Council, the scheme is expected to create a flat roofed, “modest” single storey extension which will provide 85sqm of internal floorspace.
Mr Coulter added:
It is the exact same structure as when I started and before I was here as well. Everybody who comes through that front entrance would say it is a bit tired and it’s not really the environment that we want people to come into.
Mr Coutler said a business case for the refurbishment scheme is due to put before a trust board meeting this month.
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