Sandwell Council has approved an exciting upgrade for Wednesbury’s Village Medical Centre, located on Crankhall Lane in Friar Park. The development includes a two-storey extension featuring one of the UK’s first robotic pharmacies, designed to revolutionize prescription dispensing and meet the demands of a rapidly growing community.
This expansion comes in response to hundreds of new homes planned and recently built in Friar Park, which will bring an influx of residents requiring medical services. The current medical centre, opened in 2008 and last extended in 2016, was described as “reasonably adequate” but increasingly unable to handle the anticipated rise in patients.
The approved plans will more than double the centre’s floor space, introducing 10 new part-time jobs and allowing for walk-in day appointments—an addition aimed at easing pressure on local hospitals. Central to the upgrade is the installation of a robotic dispensary system that sorts and distributes prescriptions with speed and precision, significantly boosting the pharmacy’s capacity and efficiency.
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Changes to the original design included lowering the height of the extension and altering the roof from gabled to hipped, responding to local resident feedback. While the project will reduce parking by five spaces, a detailed transport statement assures sufficient parking remains, including on-street options.
Located just half a mile from a proposed 600-home urban village and near 100 recently built homes behind High Point Academy, the medical centre’s expansion is a timely move to align healthcare infrastructure with Friar Park’s evolving landscape.
The development marks a significant step toward modernizing local health services by combining increased capacity with innovative technology, ensuring the community benefits from efficient, accessible care for years to come.