A pharmacy and health care hub will open soon as part of a transformation of one of Lancaster's biggest eyesore buildings.
Oddfellows Hall on Brock Street, former home of Bensons for Beds, has been derelict and closed down for many years.
On November 4 the ground floor will reopen as Brock Street Pharmacy (Health and Travel Clinic), run by Tariq and Nabila Malik, who are transferring their pharmacy services from their Dalton Square and King Street pharmacies.
Concerns had been growing at the declining condition of the building, built in 1844, which has been shut for more than a decade.
In March, planning permission was granted for 24 student flats in the upper floors of the premises, with the ground floor remaining as a shop unit, after an application by Inayat Munshi, of Brock Developments Ltd.
In recent months, extensive renovation and building work has been carried out at the site on the one-way system through Lancaster.
Husband and wife team Tariq and Nabila, practising pharmacists in the city for more than 20 years, relocated from their original Ullswater Road premises to Dalton Square in 2007.
Nabila is pictured below.
The busy pharmacy and its subsidiary on King Street gained a reputation for seven days a week accessibility, friendly and experienced staff, and a wide range of healthcare provisions and services, all of which are set to continue and expand further at the new premises.
“It’s the biggest project we’ve ever been involved in, but the whole team are really excited about bringing this heritage building back to life, making more services even more easily accessible to our community,” said Nabila.
“Four consulting rooms, for example, will give us scope for everything from confidential conversations, cholesterol and blood pressure checks, to ongoing support for giving up smoking and other health services (to be arranged)."
One room will be dedicated solely to travel vaccinations.
With increasing requests for standard jabs plus inoculations and travel advice, Nabila is an independent pharmacist qualified to offer this service in Lancaster town centre.
All services and staff from the current Dalton Square and King Street pharmacies will transfer over to Brock Street for the grand opening on Monday November 4.
The Dalton Square and King Street premises, which were leased, will close.
The new premises will be open seven days a week, and will include on-the-spot services designed to take pressure off stretched NHS providers.
“Pharmacists are highly qualified, and people rely on our knowledge and understanding to assist with many healthcare queries and issues,” says Nabila.
“However, many don’t know we can now provide prescription medication directly for many common complaints, including ear infections, UTIs, sore throats, sinusitis, infected insect bites, impetigo and shingles.
“Helping people start feeling better much quicker than waiting for GP appointments, ‘Pharmacy First’ also takes pressure off doctors, meaning you can see yours quicker when you really need to.”
Ruth Laverty, manager, said: “I’ll feel sad to leave this building after nearly 18 years, but there’s such excitement about starting somewhere new. We’ll still be dog friendly and this new location means the teams from both shops will be working together helping our existing customers and hopefully lots of new faces too”.
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