A MULTI-million-pound new health centre is required in Keighley as current services are “not meeting the needs of the local population”, a councillor has claimed.

Health bosses have given an update on plans for a new facility in the centre of Keighley.

The Keighley community health and wellbeing centre will see different health providers, charities and other services move into premises that will be built on the former college site in North Street.

At a meeting of Bradford Council’s health and social care scrutiny committee, NHS bosses gave the first update on the plans since the Government agreed that £3.4m of Keighley Towns Fund cash could be spent on the project.

They told members the centre would have between 4,000 and 5,000 square metres of space, and current plans are for it to be four storeys.

The siting of the planned centre has proved controversial, with some residents, councillors and the town’s MP arguing it should be built elsewhere in the town. They argued that the temporary green space created on the North Street site should remain.

The centre will include GP services, community care, mental health, dental care, a GP training hub and other healthcare services.

Around 200 jobs will be based there, with 50 of those being new.

Committee members were told that with the hub and the rebuild of Airedale Hospital progressing at the same time, there was a chance to better link the two facilities and what each can offer.

Also it was confirmed that Holycroft GP surgery will be moving to the centre, which is due to be completed by the summer of 2026.

Robert Maden, director of finance at Bradford District and Craven NHS Trust, said the design of the building had not yet been finalised.

He said: “It is important that when we go forward to the design stage, we have the full involvement of the Keighley community.

“The new hospital programme gives us a golden opportunity to complement what we are delivering at Airedale with what we are building in Keighley.

“There were some concerns about this development reducing green space in Keighley. We are looking at what we can do with the site layout to maximise the open space and take these concerns into account.”

Keighley Central councillor Amjad Zaman said: "This facility is needed in Keighley, as the current health service is not meeting the needs of the local population.”