BUILDING works on the new St Luke's Hospice site on Lower Dunton Road near Horndon on the Hill are now complete and the building has been formally handed over by developers, paving the way for an opening later this year.

After years of planning and debate the building has formally been handed over to St Luke's by developers Skye Strategic Land Limited who negotiated the building of the new six bed hospice as a trade-off for permission to build 80 new homes in the green belt.

The building will now be fitted out in preparation for a planned opening later this year.

The new facility will act as a 'twin' site to St Luke's existing hospice in Basildon. The additional in-patient unit beds will bolster the charity's offering in the local community, with a total of 14 beds being available across both sites.

As part of the programme to be offered at the Thurrock Hospice site will be new clinics and therapy facilities, a learning centre, adult and children counselling services, hospice gardens and a bistro café which it is hoped can be opened to the community.

Eileen Marshall, CEO of St Luke's, said: "After many years of planning and construction, we're thrilled to be a huge step closer to completion of the Hospice. This has been a challenging year and we're proud of the progress that has been to provide this incredible facility for our community later this year. This Hospice, alongside our current Hospice in Basildon, will enable us to provide more of our specialist care for those who need us now and well into the future."

For more information about the services offered by St Luke's Hospice and to keep up-to-date with developments, visit www.stlukeshospice.com, call 01268 524 973 or follow the hospice on social media; @StLukesHospiceB on Twitter and @stlukeshospicebasildonthurrock on Facebook.