Work will begin on a £6.5m medical centre in the former Poundland site at the heart of Stroud in less than two weeks.

Developer Dransfield Properties confirmed site preparation is already underway and scaffolding will go up for the first phase of construction on August 2.

The new facility, which will bring together Locking Hill Surgery and Stroud Valleys Family Practice under one roof, is scheduled to be finished in 52 weeks.

This means the surgeries, as well as a pharmacy and additional space other health and service providers, should be open in Autumn, 2022.

Dr Ewart Lewis, Senior Partner at Locking Hill Surgery said: “Moving into our new premises with Stroud Valley’s Family Practice gives us the long-awaited opportunity to extend the range of services that we can provide for our patients”.

Dr Anne Hampton of Stroud Valleys Family Practice added: “We are very much looking forward to moving into the centre of Stroud, bringing healthcare into the heart of our community. Our teams will be able to work much more closely together, and this new building will deliver a much better patient environment than our current premises.”

The new medical centre will provide GP services for more than 15,000 patients and will link with the Five Valleys facilities, which are also owned by Dransfield.

Poundland closed last week. A spokesman said: “Our lease on the Stroud store is expiring and the landlord has other plans for the property.

“We’re sad to be going and it goes without saying that when we close a store we always work hard to look after colleagues directly affected.”