HEALTH chiefs are progressing with the purchase of an Aberaeron council office, but it won’t be ready to open as a new health facility until 2018, it has been announced.

Hywel Dda Health Board has agreed to buy Ceredigion County Council’s unwanted Minaeron office in Aberaeron with the health board looking to renovate the building to become a replacement for Aberaeron Hospital.

While the deal is still to be finalised, Peter Skitt, Hywel Dda’s Ceredigion county director, said the health board was carrying out due diligence work to ensure the building is suitable, before seeking planning permission for a change of use for the building.

Minaeron is currently used by the council’s social services department with councillors hearing that the sale of the office would bring in funding.

It would mean almost 180 social services staff moving to alternative council offices.

Mr Skitt said while it was hoped that the final agreement to buy Minaeron would be in place by the end of March, he said renovation and refurbishment work estimated to take around a year would be needed before the facility was able to be open to the public.

However, he said he was confident that it would benefit Aberaeron and provide a better site for services than the current Aberaeron Hospital.

Mr Skitt said: “It’s very positive in terms of moving that forward."

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