The Medical Centre project has been delayed further due to negotiations between the health service and the doctors.
The planning application to build a new Medical Centre at the front of the Festival Hall was approved in August, but construction cannot start until a final design specification has been approved and a build contract agreed.
Cllr Mike Williamson reported at last week's Annual Parish Meeting that the "Medical Centre project is having to navigate some choppy waters", partly due to the demise of the PCT and formation of commissioning groups, but he hopes that it will still open in the first half of 2014.
Cllr Williamson explained "The problem is the health service isn't sure how much it wants to pay for the lease of our building and that determines the balance between the capital sum from the health service and them paying a higher rent.
"Part of the deal is it doesn't cost the tax payer any money, the health service has to pay the rent for the building. So the negations are going on at the moment between the doctors and the PCT, which is now morphing into a variety of bodies. Those negotiations have been difficult and they've been protracted.
"That's no criticism of the doctors, it is simply because the PCT has come to an end as a body - people are coming out of the PCT and transferring to other bodies, functions are being taken over by other parts of the health service delivery system, that has caused complications in terms of getting to the point where somebody in the health service will approve the standard of this particular building. Once that approval comes through then a rent can to be applied to that, that will then allow us to determine the build cost and and a contract bill which will give us a pay back period, which will enable us to know how much we need to borrow to pay it back."
He added "It's been one step forward, two steps back. There are things happening at the moment so I am optimistic that in the next 3 to 4 weeks we might reach a point where there is a final bill specification which has been approved.
"There is nothing as a parish council we can do, apart from make the land available, everything else needs to happen between the doctors, their lawyers and the health service."
Mike Williamson confirmed that the Parish Council is going to borrow money for the build from Cheshire East Council through prudential borrowing.
He said "We will borrow this money for a particular period of time, pay that loan off by that period of time. We are hoping to have a 20 year lease with the doctors so we are protected for that period of time and once the loan is paid off we'll have a brand new medical and an income which the Parish Council will use for projects in the village."
Following planning approval, Alderley Edge Medical Practice obtained a grant of £500,000 from the Regional Health Authority towards the cost of the building, which was subject to them having the building well underway by 1st April 2013.
Mike Williamson confirmed at last week's meeting that the doctors need to reapply for this grant because the date has now passed and the building work has not commenced.
I have contacted Dr Thompson for an update regarding this project and the £500,000 improvement grant they obtained.
