Work on a multi-million pound GP surgery at Parklands Village could start this summer.

This follows the decision by North Somerset Council’s executive at its meeting on April 29 to award the building contract to Willmott Dixon, which is set to cost £4.2million.

The construction contract will be signed later this month, with work starting on site in July and the new surgery opening in June next year.

MORE: Multi-million-pound GP surgery moves step closer.

The council is working with Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to develop health facilities to meet the needs of the Weston Villages development area, close to junction 21 of the M5.

Weston Villages includes two sites; Locking Parklands on the former RAF Locking base and surrounding land and Haywood Village on the former Weston Airfield.

The sites are part of the Junction 21 Enterprise Area where the council has placed an emphasis on the delivery of jobs and infrastructure alongside housing.

This joint project involves the council designing and building the surgery on land off Anson Road, transferred from Homes England and developers St Modwen.

The council will retain ownership of the building and lease it to a CCG-nominated GP practice at a peppercorn rent.

Much of the funding for the scheme is coming from the CCG which has successfully secured a grant of more than £3million from the NHS Estates and Technology Transformation Fund to support and improve GP services for patients in the Weston Villages area.

This is being supplemented by developer contributions of just over £1million secured by the council.

Cllr Ash Cartman, the council’s executive member for finance and performance, welcomed the scheme and recognised its importance at this particular time.

He said: “This project will not only provide much-needed health facilities to meet the needs of the additional 7,000 homes proposed at Weston Villages, it will contribute to the economic recovery of the area from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Projects like this are vital and we are working closely with the CCG to ensure the impacts of Covid-19 on the project are minimised.”