The good doctor can’t wait to see the people of Petersfield after breathing new life into a landmark shop.

But registration problems have been a bitter pill for Dr Afshin Khalessi to swallow as he’s been forced to delay the opening of his UMI Clinic at a considerable cost.

A little bit of London is coming to Lavant Street as Dr Khalessi and his wife, Bita, have converted the former Bran Tub into a beauty, medical and dental clinic.

More than £1million has been pumped into the stunning makeover with UMI – named after the Japanese word for ocean – boasting seven treatment rooms and state-of-the-art equipment.

The pair, who many will remember from College Street Dental Centre, want to “bring Harley Street to Petersfield”. Their “dedicated team of skilled and highly qualified practitioners” will offer the latest advancements in facial aesthetics, with some rarely available outside the capital.

A grand opening was pencilled in for May 8 but has been delayed because of registration issues with the Care Quality Commission. There were warnings of a seven-month wait but those fears have been allayed with dental sessions likely to start on June 1.

Dr Khalessi said: “It’s not too far away but when you’ve got salaries it’s quite frustrating. We were looking at a seven month wait at a cost of £300,000 but we’ve managed to bring it forward.”

He added: “It’s all very exciting because we think there is a lack of medical facilities like this around here, especially with the top treatments we’re going to offer.

“We want to create a medical centre that will benefit a lot of people in Petersfield with many specialities but it’s important for people to understand that we won’t be launching everything in one go.”

For more details about UMI visit www.umiclinics.com or call 01730 923876