Bulwell's new one-stop shop bringing together City Council and Health services has been given the go-ahead by Nottingham planners.

The £22m state-of-the-art joint service access centre, set to be one of the largest in the country, will be developed on a 3.54acres site on Main Street and Coventry Road, in the proposed Bulwell Bogs regeneration area of the town. It will replace the outdated Bulwell Health Centre, and City Council-run facilities including the former Family Centre and youth club will be demolished to make way for the new building.

The centre will become home to Nottingham City Council services including a new play centre, youth club with indoor and outdoor sports facilities, a library and community centre and will be the base for the City Council’s Bulwell Neighbourhood Management Team. The local Nottingham City Homes housing office will be situated there and there will also be a range of community health services run by Nottingham City Primary Care Trust and two GP practices, with a total of eight GPs.

Local residents have already given their ideas for the new building through a variety of consultation events including special sessions for children and young people to put forward their ambitions for the building.

Councillor Eunice Campbell, Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio holder for Human Resources, Customer Services and Consultation, said: “The new centre will be at the heart of the Bulwell community, conveniently situated next to Bulwell Bogs Park and providing easy access to a full range of modern services facilities. It is a major project for Bulwell and it is the City Council’s ambition that it will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the area and the transformation of the town.

“We are very proud of the success of the Contact Point in Burton Street in the City Centre and Clifton Cornerstone joint service centre and The Mary Potter Centre in Hyson Green. They are key developments in the wider programme to improve access to services for residents and have been widely welcomed and used by local residents."

Chief Executive of Nottingham City Primary Care Trust, Andrew Kenworthy, added: "We have a strong commitment to delivering real improvements in health services, health care and well-being for the people of Nottingham. The new centre will enable us to provide local people with first class healthcare in a fantastic new facility, in the heart of Bulwell."

Construction work is likely to start next summer, with completion due at the end of 2011. The Bulwell joint service centre is the biggest individual project to date delivered by Greater Nottingham Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) Company. It will be built under a 25-year public private partnership agreement and plans provide for an environmentally-friendly building with 10 percent less carbon emissions.