An official ground-breaking ceremony was held in Terrington St Clement on Monday, where work to build a much-needed replacement health centre has begun after a number of false starts.

Residents have experienced a series of dramatic highs and lows since the scheme was first announced and there have been times when the surgery looked unlikely to go ahead because of funding hitches.

The replacement centre, expected to be completed by early next year, is being built next to the village high school in Churchgateway and will combine the existing St Clement's surgery and the Terrington St John branch practice, in Marshland Street.

Dr Beryl Duncan, senior partner at St Clement's surgery said: "The new health centre will offer local people a central point for their health services as well as much superior facilities and extended health services, which are much-needed in this area."

Dr Tina Ariffin, of the Terrington St John branch surgery, said the move would significantly increase their clinical capacity and could result in an expansion of services such as the running of blood clinics, meaning patients will no longer need to travel to Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital for appointments.

She added: "This is another step closer to getting some excellent facilities for patients in and around Terrington and we are all very excited to see the first works beginning on the site."

The existing surgery was built in 1972 and is too small to cope with the growing number of patients in the area. As well as having too few rooms, there are only six parking spaces and there have been reported problems recruiting and retaining staff.

The St Clement's practice will be the main leaseholders of the new building and it is only the second time such an arrangement has been made between primary care trust and a GP practice in England, the first being an agreement at Swaffham's Plowright Place surgery.