HEALTH chiefs have bowed to public pressure and decided to keep open Shoebury House.

Residents had reacted angrily to the consultation for a new health centre in Gunners Park, which included proposals to close Shoebury House.

It was expected the deteriorating building, in Ness Road, would close last Christmas, three years before the new centre was built. This meant patients would have to travel out of Shoebury for treatment.

NHS South East Essex later agreed to close Shoebury House only when the new centre opens, but a decision on its short-term future was put off.

Yesterday, at a board meeting, the building was given a reprieve and it was agreed the clinical areas should continue to operate until the Shoebury Primary Care Centre is open in summer 2011.

Patients visiting clinics for chiropody, leg ulcers, speech and language therapy and child development checks will continue to use the building. Administration staff will be moved.

Margaret Hathaway, associate director of commercial services, said: “We will need regular surveillance and maintenance of the unused areas because of security issues and possible vandalism. But we’d have to do that if it was an empty building because we can’t just let the site deteriorate and collapse.”

Work is to be carried out on one end of the building to improve the safety of the areas, provide better facilities for the disabled, install a new fire exit, replacement windows and new electric heaters. The unused areas will be closed due to health and safety concerns.

The work will cost about £45,000, but is cheaper than temporary accommodation.

Chief executive Andrew Pike admitted the decision was political to please the public.

He said: “We had almost all negative reports from the residents and MP with the consultation. We need to get a more positive feel for the whole development of the primary care centre from the public.”