SOUTHAMPTON'S planned £5m Healthy Living Centre has been saved following fears it would be scrapped because of funding problems.

Crunch talks yesterday between the city council and health chiefs rescued the project.

It followed concerns that Southampton Primary Care Trust (PCT) could pull out its part of the funding for the scheme.

Proposals for the complex were first unveiled six years ago as part of the inner city's regeneration programme.

It is set to include a GP and dental surgery, physiotherapy rooms and children's clinics on a site next to Charlotte Place.

In recent months there has been increasing concern at complete funding for the scheme still not being in place.

Earlier in the summer council leaders admitted the original vision for the complex, which was due to be built on a single site next to Charlotte Place, had changed radically.

They instead proposed to incorporate some of the facilities at St Mary's Leisure Centre, which had previously been earmarked for closure because of the planned Healthy Living Centre, which is being funded by the council, the PCT and regeneration cash.

Council leader Adrian Vinson and PCT boss Pauline Quan Arrow said the scheme was still on course to be completed following their meeting.

A joint statement said: "Following a recent re-profiling of their financial commitments, the PCT now feels able to proceed with broadly similar health facilities to those originally planned which will include a state-of-the-art GP surgery to serve the health needs of the local community.

"Both the PCT and the council will continue to work with South East England Development Agency and other partners to deliver the proposed innovative Healthy Living Centre within St Mary's Leisure Centre.

Decision-making reports on this will come forward in the near future which, subject to the necessary formal approvals, we remain confident will deliver the Healthy Living Centre and improved leisure facilities at St Mary's as well as a new GP surgery opposite."

As previously reported by the Daily Echo, project leaders lost a £2m grant from Sport England for gym facilities because the centre would not be completed by 2005.

Earlier this year campaigners secured victory in their battle to keep St Mary's Leisure Centre open.