WORK has started on a multi-million-pound plan to improve health care for thousands of New Forest residents.

Ringwood Health Centre will be bulldozed and replaced by a new state-of-the-art complex comprising 12 consulting rooms and a small pharmacy.

The long-awaited scheme will be funded by Fordingbridge-based Medcentres, which will then lease it back to New Forest Primary Care Trust.

Trust bosses say the £2m complex will help it expand the range of health care services available to people living in the Ringwood area.

District councillors approved the scheme last year after over-ruling objections from planning officers, who said the height and scale of the new centre would damage the character of the area.

Now contractors have begun to erect temporary buildings that will house doctors during the demolition of the existing facility and the construction of its replacement.

A turf-cutting ceremony was performed by town mayor and former heart attack victim Michael Thierry, who highlighted the need for new facilities.

He said: "The current clinic is well past its sell-by date. When I had my heart attack the medical care I received there was first class, but staff are not being supported by the building."

Council chiefs have vowed to be flexible if work on the new health centre at The Close takes longer than planned.

Town clerk Terry Simpson said: "They are looking to be finished in 18 months, but we'll let them have as long as it takes."