A former doctors' surgery has been pulled to the ground to make way for new homes.

The Orchard Medical Centre in Heath Road, Coxheath near Maidstone shut in November, when a state-of-the-art two-storey practice launched less than half a kilometre away in the same street.

Demolition started on the former GP last month with the remnants of the building now left as a pile of rubble.

In its stead, eight new houses are to be built. They were approved in August 2020.

Greensand Health Centre has 15,452 patients on its books. It was operating out of three surgeries – in Heath Road, Stockett Lane and Boughton Lane.

But its newly launched Heath Road surgery will amalgamate the former Heath Road and Stockett Lane sites, with the latter set to be converted into a single house.

The Boughton Lane site will remain open.

Before the opening of the new medical centre, Juliette Norton, Greensand's practice business partner, said: “We cannot really express in words how excited, and relieved, we are to be moving into our new surgery, which we have worked so hard to achieve.

"This new surgery building opens up many new opportunities for the future.

“Extra clinical and non-clinical space will help us attract further staff to join the expanding team at Greensand Health Centre.

"As we grow, we can develop a new range of social and supportive activities."

Alison Burchell, deputy director of primary care at NHS Kent and Medway, said: “I’m pleased to see the practice has opened the doors to its new building, which will provide the practice with additional capacity and enable them to provide an increasing range of service for current patients and support growth in the area."

Though the building is open, work still continues to decorate the interior and the garden with the centre saying this will be completed over the coming months.

It has also said patients will soon be given the opportunity of a tour of the new surgery showing what services the practice provides in an "access all areas" open day.

The cost of the construction has not been revealed, but £482,000 has come from 11 separate developers in section 106 contributions – statutory payments made to offset the impact of housing developments on local services.