The new purpose-built health centre for Wantage and Grove is set to open next week -- despite concerns that elderly and frail patients may have trouble reaching it due to a lack of public transport.

This weekend, staff from the Church Street and Newbury Street medical practices are moving from the cramped health centre in Garston Lane, Wantage, into new premises in Mably Way, which will open on June 2.

As well as housing the two practices, the building will have a pharmacy and optician. The South West Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust is also leasing space on the first floor for dental work, speech therapy, child guidance and counselling.

But Wantage councillors are concerned some people could have problems getting to the out-of-town centre -- which is not on a bus route -- and are angry that requests for transport links to be provided have not been heeded.

GPs have written to Oxfordshire County Council and bus companies calling for a service to be re-routed.

But the county council has said developers were told it would not be feasible to divert a service past the centre unless cuts were made to an existing service or money was provided.

Jim Moley, a county, district and town councillor, said it was "shocking" there were still access concerns.

He said developers had been told on several occasions it was their responsibility to ensure people could get to the site.

He said: "It is the elderly and frail that are most upset and worried about this."

He added that the county council would discuss the problem on July 3.

A spokesman for Ashley House, the developer which has built the centre and will lease it out, said the company had given more than £25,000 to the county council for transport improvements.

He said: "We have put a substantial amount of money into the local transport plan, for a pelican crossing and a couple of bus shelters.

"We have also made provision on site for buses to stop."

Paul Staley, group manager for development control at the county council, said contributions were made for infrastructure improvements, but to lay on a new bus service would not feasible given the size of the development.

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