IN early February I attended an online consultation meeting – along with about 30 other people from private, voluntary and public sector organisations, as well as members of the public – organised by Keighley Towns Fund Board.

One half of the discussion was about a proposed health and wellbeing centre on part of the former Keighley College site. I was invited to this discussion as the chair of Dementia Friendly Keighley (DFK).

I have followed the debate in the Keighley News, and the online petition to keep that space as an open grassed public space. However, I'm yet to see any informed debate about what the alternative might be. At the consultation meeting a consultant, working on behalf of the Towns Fund Board, outlined the possibility of a new health and wellbeing centre for the town on that site. Surely any debate or petition about the future use of that land should also include highlighting what the alternative would be?

People keep referring to a ‘public sector hub’ and ‘Bradford Council project’ but that’s not what is in the Towns Fund Board’s Town Investment Plan (TIP), currently with Government. This proposed build is led by the NHS from what I’ve seen and heard so far. From what I understand, everyone who responded to consultation on the Towns Fund ideas has been sent information about the sort of projects that are in the TIP, so I’m not especially privileged to inside information.

Wouldn’t it be more productive if the debate was focused on the reality of what is proposed on that site? Would the town’s residents be better served with a purpose-built, sympathetically-designed building that brings together some of the local GPs, some of the hospital services that people currently have to travel to Bradford and Airedale for (through outreach clinics held here in Keighley), easy access to various community health services and health and care oriented voluntary sector initiatives rather than an open green space?

There will be many local people with all sorts of physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing needs who could benefit from bringing health, social and community services together under one roof in the town centre. There have been proposals going back at least ten years to have such a facility on the former college site. When I worked at the then District Primary Care Trust at that time, part of my job was to organise some of the public consultation events, so I was pleased that finally, many years on, there is a possibility of such a facility being back in play.

What we need is an open debate with everyone a lot more informed about what actually is being proposed, and its potential for bringing services closer to people, more footfall and thus spend in the town centre from service users and staff. As the proposal, and indeed the whole of the TIP, is now with Government for decision then I don’t expect there will be any open public debate until there is a feedback on Keighley’s various Towns Fund projects overall. But if it is given the go-ahead then surely, as this would be a new building, we can push for it to have some green planted exterior walls, outdoor seating and artworks around it to try and bring both visions for that empty land and the proposed health and wellbeing centre closer together? And what better tribute for Captain Tom than the sort of health and wellbeing initiative he was walking to raise money for?

Jan Smithies, Braithwaite Village

* Email your letters to alistair.shand@keighleynews.co.uk