MAJOR questions are hanging over the future of the multimillion-pound Ongar Memorial Medical Centre – languishing empty since building work finished in May.
The £6.7 million facility in Fyfield Road had meant to be a beacon of community medical support but six months after builders handed over the keys to NHS West Essex there is still not a single doctor or nurse working there.
The inactivity is causing serious concern for one resident, who says his own investigations have been met with a wall of silence.
Henry Hart, a 78-year-old Fyfield resident, said: "A large percentage of the population is affected by this.
"It was meant to have opened months ago. But it remains closed. Why is that?
"Someone somewhere is culpable for what has happened. Whenever I ask I have been met with a wall of silence.
"Something has gone dramatically wrong.
"A beautiful centre has been opened. But at the end of the day what is the point of it? It hasn't been opened. This just cannot go on like this.
"We are talking about a substantial amount of money here.
"Any development needs to be carefully planned. When looking at this type of building project every step has got to be accounted for. from start to finish.
"When they started this project the people behind this should have known when it was due to be up and running before they even put a spade in the ground."
Before its reconstruction, it was known as the Ongar and District War Memorial Hospital, built by public subscription after the war as an alternative to a traditional stone memorial.
Mr Hart, who has lived in Fyfield for eight years, added: "Since there is bound to be financial recourse bearing heavily on the public for the unoccupied centre which, although empty, must have a daily upkeep cost, combined with organisational mishaps which have taken place, we are entitled to have an understanding where this fiasco originated. Being told it's currently in the hands of solicitors is of very little consolation to the public at large."
Despite several attempts from the Gazette to find out an exact opening date for the centre, the primary care trust could only say that the negotiations to set up leasing arrangements are complex and there is no change in the plan.
John Henry, assistant director of estates, said: "The new centre at Ongar will offer a range of health services all working together and the potential for real innovation for local people.
"Because the negotiations to set up the leasing arrangements are complex, they need more time to reach completion, but there is no change in the plan for services at Ongar."
