WORK is due to start on a new £12 million 'super surgery' in Barrow, after the project was given the go-ahead.

A new primary care centre will be built on the site of the former Alfred Barrow School in Duke Street, following backing by members of Barrow Borough Council's planning committee.

The project will merge several organisations and three GP practices, Abbey Road Surgery, Atkinson Health Centre and Risedale Surgery, into one central base.

The planning permission means work can start to demolish most of the former Alfred Barrow School – preserving the oldest part of the building.

Barrow GP Geoff Jolliffe, who is also the clinical chairman of NHS Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "I am delighted that the project is moving forward to create a centre that will be much better for patients and the community."

Demolition is likely to start this summer and the new centre is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.

The project forms part of the Better Care Together strategy, which aims to integrate organisations to provide more services closer to home.

The centre will include a response base for North West Ambulance Service, a pharmacy, integrated children's services and an information point for voluntary groups.

It will also treat many conditions in the community, providing mental health support, physiotherapy, podiatry and retinal screening.

The unit is being developed by eLIFT Cumbria, a public private partnership formed under the Department of Health's Express LIFT initiative.

Earlier this year an open day was held at the school in conjunction with the Friends of Alfred Barrow Facebook group, which gave lots of former pupils and teachers the chance to have a final look around.

Dr Jolliffe added: "We are really aware of the building’s history and we'll make sure we work with the community to keep people in Barrow informed of our progress."