STAFF are set to move into a new multi-million-pound health centre in Burnley next month.

Construction at the state-of-the-art development has been completed and the keys have been handed over to Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Primary Care Trust.

The £28million, ten-storey- high St Peter's Centre is now being furnished and administration staff are due to move into their impressive new premises on August 14.

GPs are expected to join them either at the end of next month or the beginning of September.

The Trust's chief executive, David Peat confirmed: "We envisage a staged roll-out of services over the next few months, so that patients and health professionals can get used to the change-over and the new facilities. By early autumn, we expect a one-stop shop being available for the community health needs of Burnley residents."

Ultimately, the 150ft-high building the tallest in Burnley will be home to three GP surgeries, an orthoptics eye clinic, a community-based musculo-skeletal and physio-therapy service, a pharmacy, treatment rooms, a minor surgery suite, family planning, a health education suite, community dental facilities, podiatry, an out-patient clinic for ear, nose and throat patients, a clinic to treat sexually-transmitted infect-ions, speech and language therapy, adult and children's audiology, a base for community nurses, and also a base for the out-of-hours GP.

The centre, which will replace the present St Nicholas Health Centre, is also home to a local authority-run fitness and leisure suite.

Mr Peat added: "The state-of-the-art facilities will allow us even more scope to tackle the health problems which have caused concern for so long. We are only too aware that the area has suffered worse than national average figures in cancer, coronary heart disease and mental health."

Mike Collier, Director of Lancashire-based Eric Wright Group, the construction company behind the project, said: "From the builder's point of view, we are happy to have hit our summer delivery target. During the work, many local people have told us how pleased they are with what we are doing, and that has pleased our workforce enormously. The end product is something for everyone to be proud of."