A long-awaited primary care centre in a Shropshire town will not open until next year, health chiefs have warned.

The centre in Oswestry, which will offer a wide range of health services including a minor injuries unit, is being constructed in a railway engineering building off the Gobowen Road. Builders have said that the work to convert the listed building should be completed by December.

But Liz Welsh, senior commissioning officer for Shropshire Primary Care Trust, told last night’s St Oswalds and Sweeney local joint committee meeting this did not mean the centre would open this year.

She said: “Once the building is completed we have to ensure it has been build to specification and then move the services into the building.

“We hope that it will be early in 2011 when it opens to the public. However, so much can happen before then. The contractors have already had to deal with severe weather and problems in dealing with a listed building and conservation issues.”

She said that as well as a GP surgery, the centre would house many services open to everyone in the Oswestry area.

Some services such as minor injuries would also be available for visitors.

The primary care centre will house services, including district nurses, dentistry, mental health services, school nurses, ear nose and throat, physio and occupational therapy and respiratory care.

The primary care trust has agreed to attend a meeting in the autumn to update the committee on the centre.

She said many services would remain at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, including maternity.

By Sue Austin