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Bacteria delays push health centre cost to £49m

Jadzia SamuelSouth East
News imageEddie Mitchell An aerial shot of the Worthing integrated care centre. It shows a brown building with a patio and trees in front.Eddie Mitchell
Fresh traces of legionella have been found in the building's water system

The cost of building a new health centre in West Sussex has risen to almost £49m after ongoing delays caused by problems with its water system, the local authority has said.

Worthing Integrated Care Centre (WICC) was due to open in January last year, but bacteria which causes the potentially fatal Legionnaires' disease was found in the heating system.

In March, building contractor Galliford Try said it had eradicated all traces of legionella, but Worthing Borough Council (WBC) said new independent tests had shown positive traces of the bacteria.

Galliford Try said it had been assisting the council "to bring a conclusion to the issues that have affected the water system".

Once the centre is operational, it is hoped it will provide a range of NHS services and improve local healthcare.

However, on its website, WBC said: "We won't accept handover of the water system until Galliford Try can demonstrate that it is fully safe and functional."

Previous investigations found failures in the system's design, including missing monitoring sensors, unlagged pipes, and insufficient water pump capacity.

Galliford Try agreed to take on full responsibility for fixing the issues, with a proposed deadline of June 2026.

Cost recovery

When construction began in March 2022, the budget was just under £34m and the project was expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

WBC said energy prices, manpower shortages, and construction issues all led to the cost increasing.

By July 2025, the cost had increased to more than £46m.

A report to be considered by WBC next week will recommend the budget increase by more than £2.4m to cover all costs, bringing the total to almost £48.95m

In a statement, the council said it would "continue to consider all legal remedies available to seek recovery of costs".

It added: "The joint strategic committee will be asked next week to allow officers to appoint any additional legal or consultancy firms deemed necessary to complete the WICC and recover costs incurred."

In a statement, Galliford Try said: "We continue to work with WBC to bring the building back under their control as soon as possible."

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