Benefits outweigh drawbacks

This letter is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

Benefits outweigh drawbacks

I am a disabled student at the University of Leicester and have just finished my first year.

As I am at the University of Leicester, I have to go to the Freemen's Common Health Centre for my medical needs. As a wheelchair user, I have found the health centre to be very inaccessible, to say the least.

To start with, I could not use the front door to the practice as there were steps inside and had to go round the back. I had to ring a bell next to the door to get attention but the bell didn't work.

Finally, I was let in and waited for my appointment. I then found that the doors to the doctors' rooms were not wide enough to fit my wheelchair through. This meant that the doctor had to see me in the corridor! Thankfully, I did not have a personal issue at the time; if I do in the future, God help me!

The health centre also does not have disabled toilets, which does not help. I have also had to have vaccinations in the back of a taxi before as I could not get to the doctors' rooms.

I think you'll agree that this is not the most hygienic of environments. I can't wait until a new doctors' surgery is built and, quite frankly, it can't come soon enough.

I understand the planned health centre which may be built in Victoria Park has generated opposition. Apparently, the building would destroy areas of green space from its construction. I understand residents' concerns – I am an environmentalist myself. However, Victoria Park covers a large area and it is not the only park in the city.

Indeed, the developers say the building will make allowance for bats, for example. Assura, the developers of the planned health centre, say the building will be designed to achieve an "excellent'' BREEAM health care eco-rating.

This shows the building will be built so as to minimise its effect on the environment. The fact of the matter is a new health centre needs to be built.

If the quickest way to achieve this is to build on a relatively small area of Victoria Park, then I am all for this development. The health centre would provide healthcare for all students of the University of Leicester and members of the public as well. Yes, green space would need to be used; however, according to Assura, the building will be designed to minimise its impact on the environment.

Therefore I believe the benefits of the new health centre will far outweigh the drawbacks.

Alex Squire, Leicester