FUNDING of £7m has been secured for a new GP-led health centre in Devizes.

The project is led by Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and aims to build a modern health centre for residents in Devizes.

NHS Property Services (NHSPS), which owns the site of the proposed new development in Marshall Road, will fund the £7m construction phase of the project, subject to conditions including the approval of the business cases by Wiltshire CCG and NHS England.

Plans for the much-needed health centre had been thrown into uncertainty after NHS England Funding refused to commit to the investment. Initial estimates for the cost of the centre have climbed from £5m to over £9m since it was launched three years ago. However, the majority of funding has now been secured and planning permission is now set to be examined by Wiltshire Council.

Dr Richard Sandford-Hill, chairman of Wiltshire CCG and lead GP for the project, said: “It’s really exciting to see that the Devizes Health Centre project is taking a significant step forward, and I’m delighted on behalf of the five Devizes GP practices and the CCG. The commitment from NHS Property Services means It’s all systems go to work towards the implementation of this important, long-awaited scheme that will provide modern, fit-for-purpose premises for the delivery of healthcare for the people of the Devizes community area.”

Claire Perry MP has campaigned for the centre since her election in 2010, and has been closely involved in the project group, helping make the case for this funding with Health Ministers. She said: “We have been working hard for years to get our centre built and I am so pleased that the NHS have accepted the case we have been making for this investment.

“The brilliant work by Dr Sandford-Hill, the Devizes GP Group and the leadership of the CCG have paid off.”

Andrew Strange, senior strategy manager at NHS Property Services, said: “This is an important stage of the project.”There is still a long way to go and we will continue to work closely with the CCG and future occupiers to develop the scheme.”

If the outline business case is approved, work on developing the detailed design of the scheme can begin to inform the full business case, which would then need to be approved by the CCG and NHS England.