Plans for a new £7 million health centre in the Black Country have been approved by Sandwell Borough Council.

The new facility, providing services for more than 35,000 local people, will be built on a brownfield site in St Mark’s Road, Tipton, and replace the outdated Glebefields health centre.

Local development company Sandwell Local Improvement Finance Trust Company (LIFT) will build and maintain the new building for Sandwell Primary Care Trust under a long term public-private partnership agreement. Building work is due to start early in the new year and will take 18 months to complete. It is expected to open to patients in summer 2010.

Meanwhile, existing GP surgeries and primary care services will be run as usual from the existing health centre.

The new two-storey complex will offer expanded primary care services while the existing GP practices at Glebefields and the Swanpool Medical Centre will move into the new facility. It will also run community clinics plus dental, optical and podiatry services, a GP referral centre and minor treatment suite.