South Gloucestershire Council are considering buying up NHS land following the delay in plans to redevelop Thornbury Health Centre.

Plans for the centre, which would combine St Mary’s, Streamside and Dr Foubister’s surgeries, were given the go-ahead last year but suffered a setback last month when a bid for £10million of government funding was unsuccessful.

Councillor Matthew Riddle (Con, Severn Ward) put forward the idea of buying the land at a health scrutiny committee meeting on Wednesday.

The land surrounding the health centre and hospital are currently owned by North Bristol NHS Trust and NHS Property Services respectively.

Cllr Riddle said buying both sites and renting them back to the NHS could put the council in a much stronger position.

He said: “Local residents were sold the idea of the closure of Frenchay Hospital with the promise of better and more extensive facilities in Thornbury.

“Frenchay has closed but residents of Thornbury and the surrounding area are still waiting for those better facilities.

“I’m glad you’re working to get through the impasse. I would like to suggest another way through: for the council to buy the land, for a fair price.”

“There have been so many false starts. We now have a completed technical study showing what’s needed, and the evidence to back it up.”

In response Cllr Maggie Tyrrell (Lib Dem, Thornbury & Alveston) said: “What we don’t want is to spend the next 18 months with the council faffing around to work out if we can afford it. This has to be done quickly.

“Cllr Riddle said we’ve done all the technical work. We’ve done that four times now and we’ve never drawn a line in the sand and said let’s get on with it.”

She said it was luck that Grace Care opened to meet some of the local demand and added: “I don’t think you can run services on luck.”

Councillor Riddle’s suggestion was welcomed by health chiefs, with David Jarrett, the area director for South Gloucestershire at the Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG, and Tricia Down, the head of capital planning at NBT, both reiterating their commitment to the project.