DESIGNS for Greenock’s new multi-million pound health centre will go on public display early next month.

The £21m facility will be built at the Dempster Street site of the former Wellington Academy, and is due to open in 2020.

Information sessions are to be held for residents, service users, patients and staff to see the plans.

They will also be able to find out about the services which will be available in the new building. It will replace the Duncan Street health centre, which was designed almost 40 years ago and is the base for four GP practices serving a population of 29,000, as well as providing a range of other services.

Proposals for the new facility are about to go through the formal planning process.

Local authority health and social care convener, Councillor Robert Moran, says the three information sessions are be an ideal opportunity to see the plans and ask questions.

Services based at the new state-of-the-art centre will include four GP practices, a community hub, dentistry, podiatry, physiotherapy, sexual health, treatment rooms, district nursing, health visiting, school nursing, home care teams, child and adolescent mental health, speech and language therapy, out-patient clinics and a cafe.

Cllr Moran said: “The new centre will aim to provide modern health and social care premises, and will expand the range of services available.

“I encourage residents, patients, staff and representatives of local health and care sector groups to come along and find out more about it.”

Information days are being held in the nearby Inverclyde Association for Mental Health centre in Mearns Street.

The sessions will be on November 8 (10am to noon), November 9 (6pm to 8pm) and on November 10 (noon to 2pm).