Plans for Northamptonshire's third, and largest, Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) have moved forward, with North Northamptonshire Council set to consider the sale of land in Wellingborough to enable the development.
Council papers published ahead of an executive meeting on 11 August recommend the sale of an undeveloped parcel of land at Booth Drive on the Park Farm industrial estate to Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
The sale was made for an undisclosed sum.
“It is hoped that the sale, if approved, would help towards delivering improved health facilities for residents, alongside job opportunities,” said Cllr Ken Harrington, North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive Member for Assets, Waste and Environmental Services.
The proposed development would comprise a CDC alongside a new elective orthopaedic hub for University Hospitals Northamptonshire, the hospital group comprising Kettering General Hospital and Northampton General Hospital.
The CDC would significantly expand diagnostic capacity across the county, operating seven days a week for up to 12 hours a day.
In this role it would provide capacity for around 50,000 diagnostic tests annually.
The facility is planned to include four endoscopy suites, two MRI scanners, two CT scanners, dedicated X-ray and ultrasound rooms, and additional consulting rooms for specialist diagnostic services.
Alongside the diagnostic centre, the proposed elective orthopaedic hub would operate six days a week and is expected to deliver at least 2,000 planned procedures each year, including routine hip and knee replacement surgery.
How did the Trust secure the land?
According to council documents, Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust explored sites with both North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire councils before identifying the Park Farm location as its preferred option.
This site was chosen because of its central position between the county's two acute hospitals.
Northamptonshire previously secured £17m in government funding in 2022 to establish its first two CDCs.
If approved, the Wellingborough facility would become the county's third CDC, following the opening of the £11.7m CDC in Corby in 2025, and the Kings Heath CDC in 2024.
It would also be the largest of the three, reflecting increasing demand for diagnostic services across Northamptonshire.
Why is the hub needed?
Council papers state that rising rates of chronic conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular disease and respiratory illness, are driving greater demand for earlier and more frequent diagnostic testing.
The report warns that, without additional capacity, waiting times are likely to increase while pressure on existing hospital diagnostic departments continues to grow.
The papers also note that government funding for the new CDC is time limited, although the value of the funding allocated for the Wellingborough scheme has not been disclosed.
The council has not disclosed the agreed sale price for the Booth Drive site, although papers confirm it will exceed £1m, with the proceeds to be reinvested into the authority's capital programme.
The land, acquired by the former Wellingborough Borough Council in the 1970s as part of a wider 370-acre purchase, will require clearance of vegetation and fly-tipped waste before the sale can be completed.
Subject to planning approval, the new CDC and orthopaedic hub are expected to open in 2028.
North Northamptonshire Council's executive will consider the proposed land sale at its meeting on 11 August.
