Health chiefs have approved plans to close down two inner-city medical centres in Bradford and transfer doctors into new state-of-the-art premises.

Dr Gilkar's practice at Manchester Road Medical Centre and Dr Mall's practice at Park Road Medical Centre will both move to a new development, which will be built in Little Horton Lane.

Bradford City Teaching Primary Care Trust approved the move at a board meeting yesterday after consulting with patients.

The trust staged four meetings earlier this year and sent out a form with a tear-off strip to every patient of both GPs' practices.

The trust received 335 objections through the consultation and a petition, signed by 180 Marshfield residents, which said the new development would be difficult for Dr Gilkar's disabled, elderly and female patients to access.

However the trust also received 318 consultation forms and seven letters supporting the proposals.

The PCT's chief executive Lynette Throp told yesterday's board meeting that the Little Horton Lane site was the only suitable location found for the new centre after an 18-month search.

The trust's director of nursing and primary care, Fiona Clark, said the move was needed because both existing surgeries could not provide modern primary health care or be expanded to allow improvements to take place.

The Manchester Road Medical Centre also fails to comply with the Government's Disability Discrimination Act as there is no lift to the upper floor of the building.

She acknowledged that the move would mean some of the 7,000 patients registered with the two doctors would have further to travel but said the average journey for both Dr Gilkar and Dr Mall's patients would be reduced once the new centre opens.

Work is now expected to begin on the new building with the development due to be completed by next summer.

However the PCT has declined to say how much the new facility will cost.

The PCT board chairman Mohammed Ajeeb said: "It is our sincerest and earnest desire to improve and modernise the service for our patients in all of the areas which we are responsible to serve.

"For a long time the people in the inner city areas and particularly the most deprived areas of our city have been deprived of modern primary health care facilities.

"As a PCT we want to see the people living in the inner city enjoy the same the same kind of health service which the people in the suburban areas have enjoyed for many years."

Dr Mehdi Hossain, the PCT's professional executive committee chairman, welcomed the move and said the new development would help to recruit and retain doctors and nurses in Bradford.