THE building of Upton's new community medical centre should start in spring 2005, according to local GP George Wilson.

Detailed plans drawn up by Gould Singleton Architects have been approved by the Primary Care Trust (PCT) and the contract for construction work is due to go out to tender shortly.

If all goes according to plan, it should be open for use by patients in March 2006.

The 'one-stop-shop' for healthcare will be built at the bottom of Tunnel Hill and house the town's GP practice NHS dental surgery, dispensary, district nurses, chiropody clinic, occupational therapy, child health and physiotherapy centre.

However, Dr Wilson, senior partner in the School Lane practice, said he did not believe it would include the town's opticians, as had been thought previously.

The centre will be 1,335 square metres in size and will employ about 80 people.

The project has been in the pipeline since 2001, but was delayed by problems including Environment Agency concern over flooding at the site, although this has now been resolved.

Planning consent was finally granted in October last year.

Dr Wilson said both he and his patients were delighted at the way the project was progressing.

"They can't wait for us to move," he said. "We've had tremendous support from the local community."

Dr Wilson would not be drawn on the cost of centre but said that it would be more than £2million.

This will be funded entirely by the practice and the cost recouped in rent from the health authority.

The current doctors' surgery, was built in 1968 and has been extended on about ten occasions.

Dr Wilson said there would also be provision for extending the new medical centre in future years.

"It's very much a long-term plan and the building is such that it can be added to," he said.