A NEW £1 million hospice centre planned for the Valleys faces delays as further investigations into the land at the proposed site are carried out.

Cancer care charity Hospice of the Valleys are looking to build a day centre on an old steel works site in Ebbw Vale, next to the proposed new general hospital, but project advisors say the brownfield site needs to be reclaimed to a certain level before work can proceed.

Hospice chief executive Andy Richards explained: "Those behind the hospital had the area they want to build on independently assessed and told us the brownfield land needs to be reclaimed to a certain level before building work can begin.

"We therefore decided to exercise due diligence and look into the ground we want to buy before we proceed."

Hospice officials have spoken to a team from the University of Wales, Glamorgan who are going to look at the land."

The organisation provides free special palliative care for cancer sufferers in Blaenau Gwent 24 hours a day.

It has outgrown its premises at Morgan Street, Tredegar and hopes to also build offices on the new site as well as giving its consultants access to six palliative care beds at the new hospital.

Trustees of the chairty have already raised £400,000 towards the £1 million cost of building the centre and are confident that despite the delay, the project will soon be completed by 2010.