A three-month consultation is to get under way on plans to close doctors' surgeries in Wrington and Churchill and build a new £3-million medical centre in Langford.

NHS North Somerset wants to close surgeries in both villages and create a new, state-of-the-art centre at Pudding Pie Lane.

Health bosses say the merger will ease the patient strain on doctors and enable an expansion in services.

But the move has sparked outcry among villagers who have launched a Save our Surgery (SOS) campaign to fight the proposals.

A petition has been launched, which has already collected nearly 500 signatures, and earlier this month more than 100 people packed a public meeting to raise concerns with their GPs about the plans.

Residents say the move would mean patients, many of whom are elderly, would have to make a three-mile journey to see the doctor rather than being able to access medical services on their doorstep.

Wrington Parish Council has also raised its concerns at the proposal and written to NHS bosses and Woodspring MP Dr Liam Fox.

Wrington Vale Medical Practice currently runs the surgeries in Wrington and Churchill, which care for 9,100 patients.

NHS bosses are now planning a series of public meetings over the next three months to gather the views of villagers.

A special consultative group, a website polling facility and a series of drop-in events will also be organised as part of the consultation.

NHS North Somerset director of strategic development Jeanette George said: "This is the start of the consultation process which will result in the delivery of top quality healthcare services to the population of Wrington Vale.

"The Wrington Vale Medical Practice has held open meetings as part of the pre-consultation process to discuss their preferred option but it is now the role of the Primary Care Trust to ensure that any proposed changes meet the legitimate requirements of patients served by both current surgeries.

"As part of the consultation we will gain opinions on a range of potential options.

"NHS North Somerset will be working closely with the Wrington Vale Medical Practice to ensure that the plans they are developing support the delivery of safe, modern, patient centred, cost effective services which meet Care Quality Commission standards, and which are fit for the future."

A survey and site search with a potential developer has been undertaken but no commitment has, as yet, been made on either the new site or the developer. All this, confirms NHS North Somerset, is contingent on the outcome of the consultation exercise.

NHS North Somerset chief executive Chris Born: "The practice has made their proposal in good faith to improve services for patients. However, we need to debate the options so we can listen to what people say before making any decision."