THREE possible sites have been identified for a new health centre covering the Berkeley Vale area, which will cost up to £10million.

It is set to open in February 2012 and will replace Berkeley Hospital following its closure.

Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust (PCT) has now revealed the locations it is considering for the new facility.

All three are in the Dursley and Cam area to give the best access to the whole of the Berkeley Vale.

The choices are the Littlecombe site in Dursley, where 600 homes are to be built over the next six years, Norman Hill near Dursley police station and the proposed new Draycott Business Park, in Cam, which is currently waiting for full planning permission.

The information was revealed at the Cam Parish Assembly, an annual meeting of the parish council and local residents, where Gloucestershire PCT’s director of strategy, development and corporate services Hazel Braund gave a presentation on the plans.

She said the PCT welcomed residents’ views on the three sites as they intended to build a facility that "meets the needs of the whole community".

Mrs Braund, who lives locally and has children at both Rednock and Cam Hopton School, said: "We want to hear what people have to say about the three different sites. They all have their pros and cons.

"The selection stage is always a hugely difficult area and one people have strong opinions on. We will make the final decision based on our criteria and how we can best meet the needs of the whole population."

She spoke of their plans to create a service that would provide health care in the community and would lessen the need for people to travel to Gloucester or Cheltenham for treatment.

Mrs Braund said: "We need to look at how care needs to change in the wider community, it is not just about bricks and mortar."

The new health centre will include 20 inpatient beds, an extended range of community therapy and outpatient services and a minor injuries unit, which will be like an accident and emergency for minor ailments available from 8am to 8pm each day. It will cost between £8million and £10million.

Currently Berkeley Hospital deals with around nine per cent of outpatients in the Berkeley Vale, with the rest going to Cheltenham, Gloucester or other places. With the new health centre the PCT hope to increase this to dealing with 60 per cent of outpatients.

Berkeley Hospital is due to close once the new health centre is open.

The PCT anticipate they will put in their planning application in August or September this year and Mrs Braund said on average these types of building projects take at least 18 months to complete and that their estimated opening date was February 2012.