LONG-AWAITED plans to build a much-needed health centre look set to finally get off the ground after developers struck a deal with council planners.

The multi-million pound plans for a state-of-the-art surgery and 56 homes on land off Portman Drive, Scholar Green, were first approved three years ago.

A condition of the planning permission was that the houses could not be built before the health centre, which is planned to replace existing surgeries in Rode Heath and Scholar Green.

Despite being given the go-ahead in 2009, building work has failed to start on either project after a series of delays, including an NHS funding review.

But yesterday, members of Cheshire East Council's southern planning committee agreed to change the planning condition so that some of the houses can now be built ahead of the health centre, to allow developers to secure funding for the project.

Under the new arrangement, up to 34 houses can be built and sold before the completion of the health centre.

Of those 34 dwellings, 17 of the houses would be affordable, with the remaining 22 properties being built after the health centre has been constructed.

Residents are worried that the health centre will never be built if the developers are allowed to build houses first.

But representatives from developers Oakapple Primary Care and Gladedale, as well as NHS Central and Eastern Cheshire yesterday all confirmed that funds and contracts are in place to deliver the health centre, as well as the houses.

Giles Asker, managing director of Ben Bailey Homes, which is part of the Gladedale Group, said: "We need to sell the 17 homes so that we have a cash flow to pay our funders for the initial work that needs carrying out at the site, and they need to have a time frame when we can pay that back in.

"I realise this has now become a controversial project, but I believe this proposal will ensure the delivery of the much-needed health centre.

"If we have no health centre then I don't get to develop the full site and I will be out of a job, because I can't offer a full return on the project."

The 900sqm centre is designed to cater for up to 12,000 people. Work could start on the homes in weeks.

PCT project manager Nicola Kent said: "The funding for rent is in place and there is no reason for this not to go ahead now.

"The current practice does not meet NHS criteria for what should be expected of a modern day surgery."