A DOCTORS' surgery is preparing to move into a £800,000 home after a three-year wait.

The Huntcliff Surgery, in Saltburn, will close for the day on Monday while it moves 50 yards along Dundas Street West to its new site, in Bath Street.

The move has been planned for more than three years and had been originally earmarked for a site in Milton Street.

But the deal fell through for the developer, Potto-based Leven Investments, and the practice switched its attention to the former council depot, on the corner of Bath Street.

Practice manager John King said: "We move on Monday, when our present surgery will be closed for the day, and we are sure patients will find the new building magnificent."

The old surgery had reached the point where there was limited room to accommodate community-based services such as midwifery and physiotherapy.

When the Bath Street premises, originally Saltburn Electricity Generating Company and later used as a depot for the council's parks department, came under offer, Leven Investments bought the property from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, with the help of the primary care trust.

After the sale of the land and planning permission had been completed, the old depot was demolished and work started this year to create the surgery.

Mr King said: "The new building will be almost twice the size of the existing one, which will help all involved, as the patient numbers keep rising month by month.

"The new building is fully equipped with all modern facilities, including a room for minor surgical procedures, in addition to rooms for counselling, physiotherapy as well as the GP consulting rooms.

"To keep in line with the buildings around the new surgery, we have maintained some of the architectural features, such as the stone circle on the front of the building and the stone window ledges."

The practice, which has four doctors plus trainees, has an additional 25 staff, including eight attached clinical employees.

It was started in 1990 by Dr Michael Milner.

Although the surgery will be closed on Monday for routine appointments and prescriptions, doctors will be available for emergency visits.

Urgent calls will be handled by Primecare, on 0845-603-3131 that day.