General Practitioners North’s George Cerchez and TasPrac Services chief executive Alistair Sherman presented their case to the Launceston City Council on Monday.

Aldermen heard that demand was high for a multidisciplinary centre that would train third-year medical students and two registrars in Launceston.

Dr Cerchez and Mr Sherman said they were unable ‘‘to wait another five years’’ to build the centre, and that it would go ahead – if the land was provided – regardless of the construction of the University of Tasmania’s Inveresk campus development.

Mr Sherman said that if the centre was to be built it would provide bulk-billing healthcare to university and Australian Maritime College students, as well as much-needed services to the Northern suburbs.

He also said the centre had the potential to cover its cost of construction within two years.

‘‘At the moment there are five GPs in Invermay Road, we want to increase that to 12,’’ Mr Sherman said.

‘‘We also want to provide, under one roof, five allied health practitioners.’’

The centre would be designed to assist in university research in a real-world environment.

The land identified for the development sits on the Western side of the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery car park, with road frontage next to the Tramsheds.

Launceston City Council general manager Robert Dobrzynski suggested the land may not be the most appropriate location for the development.

Mr Dobrzynski said the developers were welcome to discuss the project, and any potential site, with the York Park and Inveresk Precinct Authority.

If granted land, and approvals, the centre would be built next year.