HEALTH chiefs have revealed they are just weeks away from securing a site for a multi-million-pound health centre in the heart of Accrington -- after rejecting eight other locations.

Three health centres are planned under the Local Improvement Finance Trust initiative for the area served by Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Primary Care Trust areas -- two in Accrington and one in Clitheroe.

A total of £65million is being spent on health centres across East Lancashire, with the first three -- in Nelson, Bacup and Darwen -- already under way.

Now details of the three for Hyndburn and Ribble Valley have been revealed, with a promise that work will start on the first -- for East Accrington, and based in the town centre -- will start next January. Mark Wilkinson, PCT chief executive, said: "We will hopefully secure a site within the next few weeks. There are just several things for us to establish.

"We envisage that two or three GPs surgeries will be based there, but their branch surgeries won't move in. They will still be held out in areas such as Huncoat.

"A lot of services provided in hospitals, which really don't need to be provided there, will be moved out to the health centre in Accrington to save people from travelling." Few sites in Accrington town centre are big enough for the redevelopment -- it needs to be at least two acres.

Sites rejected so far include land next to the council's Scaitcliffe House, next to the Arndale, alongside Wellington Street, on Eastgate, the Karrimor building, on land at Moorhead High School, the old Pioneer site and Walker Farrimond's site.

A second centre will be built off Blackburn Road and will serve West Accrington. It will be built in 2007.

The scheme uses the government's Private Finance Initiative. Under it, a private contractor builds the health centres and then leases space out to GPs, pharmacies and other health bodies.

Mr Wilkinson added: "Because of the geography of Hyndburn, and the fact there are so many outlying communities, we have no plans to shut the clinics in places like Great Harwood, Rishton and Clayton-le-Moors."