THOUSANDS of patients are set to benefit from plans to give health care in the New Forest a £2m shot in the arm.

District councillors have approved a proposal to bulldoze the outdated Ringwood Health Centre and replace it with a state-of-the-art complex.

Facilities at the new three-storey building at The Close will include 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 the New Forest Primary Care Trust.

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

The health centre is one of only two GP practices in the town, which has a population of 14,000.

Ringwood's mayor, Councillor Michael Thierry said the proposed new building would provide patients with treatments that were currently only available in Bournemouth and Salisbury.

He added: "The existing clinic is well past its sell-by date. When I had my heart attack, the medical care I received was first class, but the staff are not being supported by the building and have really struggled for a number of years. The new centre will be slightly bigger than council officers may have wanted, but we are having to plan for many years to come."

Members of the district council's planning and development control committee had been recommended to reject the application.

Officers criticised the height and scale of the new building, saying it would have an adverse impact on the character of the area.

But councillors voted in favour of the scheme, which cleared its final hurdle when the committee agreed a list of conditions that will be attached to the planning permission.

A primary care trust spokesman said: "We are delighted that plans to develop the health centre have been approved.

We were keen to ensure the practice remained in the heart of Ringwood in line with the wishes of local people and the town council.

"The practice was originally built to house five GPs but now has nine doctors and also operates as a training practice.

"The new development will help us expand the range of services we have on offer, and provide an improved environment for staff and patients."

A temporary medical centre will be provided at Carvers Field while the new facilities are being built.