OPPOSITION is mounting over plans for a new health centre on green belt land in Rawreth.

Rochford District Council has earmarked land in Rawreth for a new healthcare complex to serve new housing developments planned for the area.

However, Lib Dem councillors claimed the site was unsuitable and called for a clinic to be built in Rayleigh town centre instead.

Bosses at the primary care trust, NHS South East Essex, also joined in the debate and agreed the location put forward by the district council in its local development framework was not suitable.

Lib Dem leader Chris Black spoke out at a Rochford District Council west area committee meeting where NHS trust representatives were speaking about their five-year strategic plan.

He said: “It would be better to keep our GPs in the town centre and put this facility there.”

Mr Black said any new centres with facilities such as X-rays and physiotherapy should be somewhere with good public transport links.

In the five-year strategic plan for South East Essex, a large primary care centre has been earmarked to serve Rayleigh, Rochford and Hockley.

This will include hospital-type services such as outpatient clinics, X-rays and blood tests as the trust spends £33million on improving health care services.

Land between London Road and Rawreth Lane, which is in Rawreth parish, has been earmarked for an 850-home development with a primary care centre and a primary school.

Rawreth Parish Council chairman, Alistir Matthews, added: “We don’t think it makes sense to put it in Rawreth when you have Rayleigh, Hockley and Rochford. I urge the trust to look at another site.”

Margaret Hathaway, the trust’s associate director of commercial services, said: “If there are houses being built, we must have the facilities to cater for them.

“An outreach centre with diagnostics in Rawreth isn’t suitable.

“But better sites are at a premium and there aren’t many sites around.”

Residents have until April 10 to comment on the plans.