An MP is calling for an urgent meeting with the NHS to discuss why a “well-needed” health centre has been shut for more than eight months.

Following the Barnet & Potters Bar’s front page last week, Theresa Villiers, MP for Chipping Barnet, is demanding to know when East Barnet Health Centre will reopen.

The centre was closed in June 2014 after asbestos was discovered in the building.

It was due to be reopened in September, but is still closed more than eight months later.

Ms Villiers said: “I am concerned that the East Barnet Health Centre has been closed for so long and there is still no definite plan in place for when it will reopen.

“I know how concerned my East Barnet constituents are on this issue. It is vital that the health centre reopens. I have raised this issue with NHS Property Services who assure me that they are committed to providing a fit-for-purpose building for GP services in East Barnet.

“I have been assured that the NHS has no plans to sell the site for housing development. This is welcome news since there is a clear need for facilities for GP services and primary care in East Barnet.

In the meantime, patients are being told to go to Vale Drive Health Centre – which is a 30-minute walk or a 15-minute bus journey away.

Ms Villiers says she is planning on addressing these concerns with NHS Property Services and Barnet NHS Clinical Commissioning Group.

She added: “The big question is how long will it take for the centre to be reopened. I am campaigning to see this happens as soon as possible.”

In a statement, NHS Property Services said: “In the interests of health and safety, these materials, once discovered, had to be removed, but on completion it was clear that the invasive work necessary to achieve this had caused significant cosmetic damage to the building.

“We have therefore decided to take this opportunity to look at the long-term measures we can take to make the property as good as possible for our tenants, their patients and the services they deliver.

“We are currently assessing the appropriate options which range from total refurbishment to brand new building on the same site. Once we have an agreed option, we will work closely with the GP practice and local NHS partners to deliver it as soon as possible.

“We fully recognise that the recent works have been both protracted and highly inconvenient for patients.”