A NEW, £5 million health centre for Cinderford has been given the go-ahead.

The ‘business case’ for the purpose-built facility in Valley Road was approved by the Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) last week.

The need to replace the current Cinderford Health Centre, which houses the Dockham Road and Forest Health Care surgeries, was highlighted in the CCG’s primary care infrastructure plan in 2016.

Dr Deborah Lane, a GP at Forest Health Care, said: “This is great news for our patients and staff.

“The new building will help us to meet the ever-increasing health and care needs of our patients, ensuring that we can continue to provide high quality services for years to come.”

Dr Justin Forbes, a GP at Dockham Road surgery said: “We’re thrilled that our proposals have been given the green light and that we can move to the next phase of planning.

“Our ambition is to retain the welcoming and friendly environment of our current practice in spacious, modern premises.

“We look forward to all our patients, both old and new, benefitting from this new development.”

A specialist development company has been working with the two practices to explore options in the local area, and they have recently published a business case outlining proposals to build the new premises on Valley Road in Cinderford.

The business case outlines proposals for a spacious new facility which could offer a much broader range of services to patients than the existing, outdated and cramped facilities can deliver.

The infrastructure plan, which covers all areas of the county, takes into account issues like population and housing growth, the health needs of local communities and the condition of existing buildings and identifies a number of priority projects which will improve the environment for patients and support modern healthcare.