A long-awaited £4.2 million "superclinic" which will boost care for patients in the Little Horton area has finally got the go-ahead.

Plans for the new centre, to be built on former railway land at Horton Park Avenue, have been on the drawing board for five years.

Work is finally due to start next month on the flagship development, which will allow GPs to work under the same roof as other health practitioners such as dentists, opticians and pharmacists.

There will also be space set aside in the three-storey building for social workers, housing officials and benefits advice workers, creating a "one-stop shop" where local people can get help.

The scheme is being developed by Bradford Community NHS Trust in partnership with Mill Group plc, a private London-based company, under a private finance initiative.

Trust health chiefs yesterday approved details of the deal and building work is expected to take 12 months.

Dr Alan Griffiths, of Dr Gaguine & Partners GP practice, which will transfer to the new centre from existing premises in Little Horton Lane, said: "We are really looking forward to getting into decent premises after such a long wait, and we just hope there aren't any more delays and it gets completed quickly and efficiently.

"We are desperate to get out of our current accommodation, which was designed for three doctors, although there are now five of us.

"The new surgery will have facilities that are as good as any in Bradford and there will also be benefits for patients in that they can access other services like social services, on the same site."

Welcoming the news, Con Egan, chief executive of the trust, said: "This development represents a modern partnership approach to the provision of services. This jointly-developed facility will allow the health service to provide a wide range of services for people in the local community."

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