Urban&Civic, the master developer behind Wixams, has submitted plans for the new health centre to Bedford Borough Council and Central Bedfordshire Council, with the surgery currently expected to open by 2029.
The development follows confirmation earlier this year that the NHS had secured £7 million in capital funding for the project.
New surgery
The proposed health centre would serve up to 15,000 patients and is intended to reduce the need for many Wixams residents to travel to Ampthill for GP appointments.
Read: Wixams health centre approved with £7m funding and locals invited to view plans
Plans include a minimum of eight clinical rooms, with the building set to be owned by Bedford Borough Council.
The scheme is being delivered in partnership between Urban&Civic, Bedford Borough Council, Central Bedfordshire Council and the Central East Integrated Care Board (ICB).
Nigel Hugill, chief executive of Urban&Civic, said: “Amenity-led development is part of what differentiates Urban&Civic.
“Our thanks to Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire Councils, the Central East Integrated Care Board and, in particular, to NHS England for the additional £7 million of capital funding that is enabling us to develop a state-of-the-art surgery with 15,000 patient capacity.
“All parties are now striving for a 2029 opening.
“Additional local centre facilities, as well as carefully thought open spaces, have also been submitted for planning. We are very determined that there will be no let-up in the pace from here.”
Wider plans
The GP surgery forms part of wider proposals for a new Wixams town centre, which have also now been submitted following public consultation events earlier this year.
The wider development plans include a nursery, community building, a 36,000 sq ft supermarket, retail units, a public square and additional parking spaces.
Urban&Civic has also confirmed it intends to include a food and beverage space following feedback from residents during consultation events.
The developer said nearly 500 people attended two public engagement events in April, where plans for new open spaces and sports facilities were also discussed.
Those proposals include football and cricket pitches, tennis and basketball courts, multi-use games areas, allotments and community meeting spaces.
But Tony Rivenell of Save The Wixams Masterplan says he hopes these plans will continue to involve local people and lead to more of the original Wixams plan coming to fruition.
“It’s wonderful to read that Urban & Civic is a facilities-first developer; this is certainly something that they demonstrate in their other developments.
“It’s also wonderful that Wixams will finally be getting the long-overdue GP surgery. However, Wixams is far removed from the original Masterplan laid out for it, with countless reductions made over the last 25 years.
“With the arrival of Universal Studios, it’s vital that it not only delivers on its original promise and goes further to facilitate the expected explosion of Airbnb properties and the extra drain on its resources from thousands of more homes that are due on its doorstep.”
“At Save The Wixams Masterplan, we are working to bring together the developers, the councils, Universal and residents for the first time to plan effectively for Wixams 2040.”
Healthcare access
Councillor Martin Towler (Conservative, Riseley), portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and communities: health and wellbeing at Bedford Borough Council, said: “This is a major milestone for Wixams and for all the residents who have waited so long for local health provision.
“A new GP surgery will make a real difference to families across the community, reducing travel times and ensuring people can access the care they need close to home.
“It’s also a benefit to people across the Borough and Central Bedfordshire, who will have less congestion on the road from people having to travel from Wixams to other GP surgeries.
“We’re proud to be working in partnership to deliver the facilities a growing town deserves.”
Jan Thomas, chief executive officer of Central East ICB, added: “This is more great news for residents in Wixams.
“We said we were keen to get on with delivering this project, so I’m delighted that just weeks after securing funds for the health centre from NHS England, the application for outline planning consent is already being submitted.
“This is a vital step in helping us to achieve our key ambitions: improving patient satisfaction, reducing the time spent waiting for care, delivering more services closer to home, and ensuring the NHS is financially sustainable.”
Update: This article was updated at 17:48 on 26 May 2026 to include a quote from Tony Rivenell of Save The Wixams Masterplan.
