ONE of Wiltshire's least healthy areas is to get a new state-of-the-art medical centre.

Priory Road Clinic, on the corner of Royston Road and Priory Road in Park South, is to be demolished in September for work to start on the construction of a two-storey medical centre on the site.

The current Swindon Primary Care Trust-owned single-storey wooden clad clinic is used as a health centre.

A separate doctor's surgery operates at the other side of Cavendish Square.

But that is all set to change with the new centre being equipped with consulting rooms and staff training facilities which, it is hoped, will become the focal point of the 1950s-built estate.

Other services in the new centre include chiropody, dentistry, district nurses and speech therapists.

Jan Stubbings, Swindon PCT chief executive, said: "The current clinic is inadequate for the expanding needs of the area. The project is a joint venture between the practice and the PCT to provide a building with all facilities under one roof. We very much welcome this venture as it's a great example of a partnership working to provide a better service for the people of Swindon.

"The modern facility will bring advanced services, better access and improved security for staff and patients."

Plans for a new all-purpose medical centre were first touted two years ago and it is hoped the facility will open in April 2003.

Coun Steve Allsopp (Lab, Parks) added: "The current facility is a dated 1960s building that doesn't make the most of the space on offer.

"The new medical centre will offer a whole new range of facilities, which can only be good for the people in the Parks area.

"There will be more space for more GPs, which must be good news for patients and it will be an overall improvement for the area, which is rated as one of the least healthy in Wiltshire."

Dr Jonathon Flew will be one of the doctors to move to the new premises.

He said: "We have been looking for something like this for a while. At the moment it's difficult to develop the kind of services that we would like to offer patients. This is good news all round and the move can't come soon enough."