Doctors from the Tonbridge Medical Group joined construction workers in a ceremony to mark the formal start of construction of a new medical centre for the town.

The new building, on the site of the former Teen and Twenty club in River Lawn Road will be large enough for both the Pembury Road and Higham Lane clinics to come together in one modern, purpose-built facility.

As well as consulting rooms, there will be a minor surgery room, a pharmacy and wellbeing clinic – as well as being more accessible for people with disabilities.

With demolition and preparation works at the site completed, Dr Tim Palmer, senior partner at the Tonbridge Medical Group, said: “It’s so exciting to be at this point in the project. For years we have been making do without the space or layout we need to provide the very best care for our patients.

"By having the flexibility and space to bring new services into a new building, our team will be able to give our patients a much wider range of services all under one roof.”

The building is expected to be completed by next spring.

It is being built by Assura and Kent-based contractor Jenner.

Assura’s senior development manager, Jonathan Webb, said: “New buildings like this are about building for the future of NHS services near home – creating more pleasant places for patients to receive their care and modern workplaces for primary care teams.”

The building will incorporate technology such as photovoltaic panels to help reduce energy use for the building – and designed to achieve a BREEAM ‘excellent’ sustainability rating.

Read more: All the latest news from Tonbridge