Members of the public will be able to have their say on plans to replace two doctors surgeries with a new health centre.

Braintree Council is set to discuss proposals for the facility which will be built on the former Premdor Site in Sible Hedingham.

The latest plans for the scheme have been published in a report which will be put before councillors during a cabinet meeting next week.

Members will be asked to vote on moving the project forward during a session held behind closed doors.

If approved, work will begin on designing the health centre before a planing application is submitted some time next year.

The papers state the new centre will consist of nine treatment/ consultation rooms, a 60-seat waiting area, as well as admin rooms and storage areas.

A car park with room for 25 cars is also being proposed, however nine of those spaces would be shared with the occupants of the newly built business hub, Osier House, which is located close by.

The health centre would have room for up to 10,000 people and it has been suggested there would be scope to expand both the facilities and patient numbers in the future.

Existing GP practices Hilton House Surgery, in Sible Hedingham, and Castle Surgery, in Castle Hedingham, are expected to close once the new health facility is opened, with patients being transferred over.

The report adds: "Working in partnership with NHS England, the council has identified an opportunity to deliver a new healthcare facility on the Premdor site in Sible Hedingham and create a valuable property investment for its commercial portfolio.

"The existing doctors’ surgeries in Sible Hedingham and Castle Hedingham do not meet modern standards and do not allow a wider range of healthcare services to be delivered.

"The NHS is therefore looking at the opportunity to jointly relocate these surgeries into a modern scheme on the Premdor site."

Members of the public would be given a say on the plans once a planning application has been approved by councillors and is then submitted.

The architects behind the Manor Street regeneration scheme in Braintree, AHR Global, has been appointed to design the health centre, which will be based on land provided by developer Bloor Homes.

Bloor is in the midst of building 193 homes in Sible Hedingham and will give the land to Braintree Council for free. However, the developer must ensure the site is clear of contamination and is level before handing it over.

Current estimations suggest the transfer of the land will likely be complete in the financial year beginning April 2020.