EVESHAM people will also be getting a better deal with their health care if plans for a new medical centre on Merstow Green are accepted by planners.

An application has been submitted to rebuild the surgeries of both the Abbey Medical Practice and the Merstow Green Health Centre at their existing shared site on Merstow Green.

The new two-storey building, covering nearly 2,000sq-metres, would provide enough space for both practices to expand in line with growing demand in Evesham.

The plans also include staff parking for 82 cars, a new access off Abbey Road, a pharmacy and office space for health administrators.

Wychavon District Council has offered temporary accommodation for the practices while building work is being completed, possibly in portable cabins at the nearby Abbey Road Depot.

The construction work will be completed by a private company called MedCentres on behalf of the local NHS primary care trust.

Project director David Coatham said the estimated cost of the work, including the temporary relocation, would be about £3,500,000. "We will be doubling the space available to the practices, which are bursting at the seams in the current building."

Business manager at the Abbey Medical Centre Richard Allen said the new facilities would allow the practice, which currently has four GPs, to take on more staff. "Our patient lists are growing all the time because Evesham is growing."

Nicola Bamber, practice manager at the Merstow Green centre, said the plans were good news for the town.

"We just don't have enough room in our existing premises but I'm very pleased the new building will be in the same place, as I'm sure our patients will be as well."

Wychavon councillor Judy Pearce said the proposal would be considered by the council's planning committee following community consultation. "We would welcome the public's views on this application," she said. "We hope to help them with temporary accommodation on our Abbey Road depot while the new centre is being built."