The £48.9m Worthing Integrated Care Centre's water system may be handed back by the end of 2026, a council report says, after several missed deadlines.

The water system at the Worthing Integrated Care Centre may not be fixed until the end of this year. That is the latest indicative date in a report to councillors, published with their decision on 11 September. The council says it still needs confirmation, and the date depends on how much work turns out to be needed.

The £48.9m building on Stoke Abbott Road was declared practically complete in December 2024. It is meant to bring GP services, dentistry, mental health services and a pharmacy under one roof. It still cannot be fully occupied by its NHS tenants.

The report to the Joint Strategic Committee was noted on 8 September. It says the remediation work “has so far failed to fully rectify the water system”, with “several deadlines for handback of the water system to the council being missed and further delayed”.

What has happened since June

In June, the council’s own independent testing found traces of legionella in parts of the building. That was just before the builder, Galliford Try, expected to hand the system back. The council’s press release at the time said the finding came two months after the contractor said it had eradicated all traces.

The September report sets out what followed:

  • Legionella sampling by the contractor in June came back negative. But the report says “wider systematic water system issues still needed to be addressed”.
  • The developer, West Sussex Worthing Ltd, commissioned its own specialist survey. It was completed in July and found that issues remain.
  • The council says that survey is “consistent with the Council’s own specialist assessment”.
  • Galliford Try has now brought in additional expertise on its installation. The council has not yet seen that report.
  • The council is waiting for a remediation plan and a testing and assurance framework. It says it will have the plans checked independently before agreeing to go ahead.

Galliford Try took the water system back to repair in August 2025, after the council presented evidence of the faults. The June report listed what investigations had found. They included an undersized water pump, unlagged pipework, hot and cold pipes badly aligned, and “dead legs” where water stagnates. The original target for a compliant system was 28 November 2025.

The cost to the council

Every month of delay costs the council money. The interest on the borrowing is added to the project’s cost until the building is ready to use. The September report says the interest chargeable for 2026/27 “is not yet known”.

Worthing Integrated Care Centre approved budget: March 2021 £33.971m; June 2023 £39.601m; February 2024 £42.422m; April 2025 £45.950m; July 2025 £46.525m; June 2026 £48.945m

The June report set out how the budget has grown:

Date Approved budget Why
March 2021 £33.971m Full business case, completion projected December 2023
June 2023 £39.601m Construction inflation and supply chain problems
February 2024 £42.422m Costs from a dispute between the contractor and the developer
April 2025 £45.950m Professional fees and borrowing
July 2025 £46.525m Costs to complete the project
June 2026 £48.945m £2.2m of 2025/26 interest plus a £250,000 contingency

The empty space also means lost rent and service charges. The same report put the centre’s net cost to the council at £1.44m in 2026/27, including the neighbouring multi-storey car park. It now expects the centre to take 35 years of full operation to break even, against 26 years previously. The 2026/27 shortfall is being covered from the council’s Property Risk Reserve.

The council’s first-quarter budget monitoring report to the same meeting calls the centre “an unknown element” that is “causing a rental/service charge shortfall”.

The council says it “continues to consider all legal remedies available for recovery of losses incurred”. In June it said it had already raised a liquidated damages demand against the developer.

A change of plan on who runs the building

In June, the council proposed appointing Bellrock directly as managing agent and facilities manager. That plan has been dropped after further legal advice. The council will now run a competition through the Pagabo dynamic purchasing system, starting with market engagement this month.

The report says this will take about three months. It also comes at a higher fee. The government route the council had planned would have cost around 0.5% to 1%. That route is no longer available, and the council expects to pay 2% to 3%.

Councillors also gave officers authority to hire any legal or consultancy help needed “to complete the delivery of the WICC and seek redress”, within the approved budget.

What it means for you

  • No opening date has been given. Even if the water system is handed back by the end of 2026, the NHS tenants still need their own compliance assurances before they can treat patients there.
  • The cost falls on Worthing Borough Council’s budget, which is funded partly by council tax. Our council tax bands page shows what Worthing households pay.
  • You can follow the decision. It can be called in by councillors until 5pm on 18 September, and comes into force the next day if it is not. Another update is due to the committee later in the year.
  • Once the project is finished, the council intends to put a full project review report before its Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

We covered the centre’s earlier problems in our Worthing planning and development news.

Sources