A new multi-million pound, state-of-the-art medical centre has opened in a coastal town.

Grove Medical Centre in Grove Road, Felixstowe, is only 500 metres away from the Central Surgery in Hamilton Road that it replaced.

The development cost £3.5million, and the staff are settling in well to their new environment.

Stephen Feltwell, project leader for the development, said: “It’s excellent. It’s everything we hoped it would be.

“It’s a large building and so much better than our old premises.

“We became very fond of the old building but the new premises are better.”

The opening of the surgery has been several years in the making and will serve around 16,000 people.

Dr Feltwell said: “We have been looking for a new site for 10 years, and we have been looking at the Grove for the last four years.”

Most of the funding came from NHS Suffolk and in the form of a grant from the sale of Felixstowe’s Bartlet Hospital.

Dr Feltwell said: “We’re very grateful that they have both recognised our need for new premises and supported us to give new resources for the building.

“We welcome the opportunity to serve our patients more effectively.”

There are 26 consultant rooms in the new surgery, whereas at the old site, there were only eight. However he was keen to stress that the facilities are in addition to the community hospital.

He said: “The services we’re providing are not taking away from Felixstowe Community Hospital.

“We’re delighted to have a new premises and we hope that will enable Felixstowe to have a high standard of care for the forseeable future. We have got the facilities the patients deserve after years of being limited by our premises.”