Almost five years after East Coast Hospice (ECH) unveiled plans for what will be the only independent hospice in the Great Yarmouth area, it has bought the land it will build on.
Trustees this week completed the purchase of a five-acre site in Sidegate Road, Gorleston, where they will build the Margaret Chadd Hospice.
The charity aims to start work on the 10-bed in-patient palliative care hospice - which would be for people in Yarmouth, Gorleston and Waveney - in 2016.
Angie Buxton-King, principal fundraiser for ECH, said they will now put together detailed plans, commission quantity surveyor plans and amplify their public awareness campaign.
They need to raise £4m for the hospice and, once plans are drawn up, will tender for a contractor to carry out the building work.
'This is a milestone moment for East Coast Hospice,' said Mrs Buxton-King. 'The charity put down a deposit on the land in 2011, but now we have completed the purchase we are commissioning detailed quantity surveyors reports that tell us which plug goes where.
'We'll also galvanise our capital campaign and engage with the public even more than we've been doing.'
Earlier this year, a number of ECH trustees - including chairman David Nettleship - stood down after talks with the James Paget Hospital over locating the hospice on hospital-owned land broke down.
Mrs Buxton-King said the charity wants to show people why it is important for Yarmouth and Waveney to have a 'fully independent' hospice providing day care, respite care and teaching facilities.
'I give a lot of talks to groups including the Rotary and WI and I'll often explain the difference between the Louise Hamilton Centre and the independent hospice we want to build.
'The Louise Hamilton Centre is a fantastic and much-needed facility and it provides vital support in particular to the newly diagnosed.
'But it does not have beds or a 'hospice at home' service. I don't see the Louise Hamilton Centre and our hospice as being in competition, but complementary, and I hope the public see that as well.'
Trustee Dr Patrick Thompson added: 'East Coast Hospice is a facility that this area cannot do without and will provide a service that will be second to none for all that require dignity, respect and understanding not only for the patient but for their family and friends at a most vunrable time in any persons life.
'This will be 'Your Hospice' that you will always have access to and provide a quality of life that is excepted at all times.'
ECH was granted planning permission to build on the Sidegate Road site next to Beacon Park, which they have purchased from Norfolk County Council, in May 2012.
Yesterday trustees, including acting chairman Margaret Chadd, thanked supporters both past and present and asked for the support to continue as the tough job of raising the millions of pounds needed begins.
Patrons and supporters of East Coast Hospice include Waveney MP Peter Aldous, Great Yarmouth MP Brandon Lewis, Baroness P D James, Lady Freud and Lady Dannatt.
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