A mass vaccination centre has been approved to open in Bromley, the borough council have announced, after receiving the green light from NHS partners in the area.

On Thursday (January 28), Bromley Council announced that the Civic Centre's Great Hall will host the mass vaccination drive to help protect people against the Covid-19 coronavirus. 

It will be overseen by the Princess Royal University Hospital, Farnborough and supported by local health professionals and volunteers in the area.

Coronavirus vaccines are already being administered at smaller sites across Bromley, but the opening of the new centre, "hoped will be up and running by early March" according to Bromley Council, will provide a rapid increase in the number of vaccination jabs being given in the borough.

"We are delighted to be able to offer our support to the NHS and to put forward the Civic Centre as an ideal location for the new vaccination centre," Bromley Council Leader, Cllr Colin Smith said.

"Being in a central location, with good transport links and excellent parking provision close by, it stood out as the obvious choice locally from the outset.

"To that end, with the nearby multi-storey car park standing largely unused at present as a result of the Government’s lock down measures affecting Bromley High Street, we are also very pleased to confirm that car parking charges in the multi-storey will be suspended for all NHS staff, any volunteers assisting them at the Civic Centre and residents attending appointments, until such time as the lock down measures are lifted and the High Street springs back to life," he added.

"Along with our Council-run rapid testing facilities and the outstanding work being undertaken by the Council’s local contact tracing team, this new facility represents the latest positive step alongside partners agencies locally in the tortuous battle to stop the spread of this awful virus and ultimately get us back to a normal way of life which we all long for."

Residents are being asked to wait to be invited for their vaccine.

When it is their turn, according to Government guidelines, they will be invited by the NHS either by a phone call, text or letter.

For more information about the Covid-19 vaccination programme, click here.