By Matt Jarram, Local Democracy Reporter
Broxtowe Borough Council want to transform a historic building with links to D.H. Lawrence into a dementia day care centre.
Durban House in Eastwood was built in 1896 and was once the wages office for the colliery where D.H. Lawrence’s father worked.
D.H. Lawrence is believed to have collected his father’s wages there before going on to become a famous writer penning books such as Sons and Lovers and Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
Durban House on Mansfield Road has had an expansive history, from a social club to flats before the council bought the building in 1995.
It was then a heritage centre before becoming a nail salon with the last tenants being The Jubilee House Christian School.
The school closed in January 2020 due to financial difficulties. The building is currently empty.
Now, the leader of Broxtowe Borough Council, Cllr Milan Radulovic (Lab) wants to see the historic building transformed into a dementia day care facility.
Plans include creating a community garden, a cafe upstairs, and space for dementia patients and their families to receive help and support.
The council says there will be 28 car parking spaces and enough room to accommodate up to 100 people a day.
He said: “We have got nowhere in the north of the county as a dedicated facility. Different groups and different organisations do different things, and we want it all under one roof.
“We are working with the Clinical Commissioning Group and doctors to work out what we need and how we will run it.
“I would like it running as soon as possible such as September or October time. This month we are carrying out upgrading work to clean the site up.
“It is to improve the mental health and well being for one of the most deprived areas of Nottinghamshire.”
Dementia can affect people at any age but is most common in those aged over 65.
The NHS said that in June 2021 – 39,165 people aged 65-plus were diagnosed with dementia in the East Midlands alone.
The local authority also has other plans to improve health across Eastwood and is applying to the Government’s Levelling Up fund for £20m of investment.
Cllr Radulovic said: “We want a swimming facility and fitness suite in Eastwood, and we are working with landowners to find a site and get a bid in to government.
“We have a lot of people with respiratory problems because of the coal mine legacy and it would be good for long Covid treatment.
“Eastwood needs infrastructure towards its town centre and high street.”
