COUNCILLORS have finally granted planning approval for a new £2million GP surgery in Wickford.

The two-storey surgery in Market Road will replace the current London Road Surgery, which staff have described as “dilapidated”.

The surgery plan sparked a feud between rival councillors in April when a similar application was turned down Concerns about a lack of parking spaces were repeated at a meeting on Tuesday night, but councillors eventually voted in favour of the new surgery.

London Road practice manager Cally Hayes said: “We have been working out of dilapidated, unsuitable premises for the last 15 years and have made several applications over the last two years.

“The new surgery offers many more spaces and training rooms which we don’t currently have.

“The rooms will allow us to grow and become a training practice to encourage GPs to come to the area.”

Ms Hayes said the surgery, which has 9,847 patients on its register, was also working with the town’s other practices with a view to helping them upgrade facilities.

The Market Road surgery will have 20 car parking spaces, but councillors have voiced concerns about how it will be policed to prevent commuters and shoppers using them.

Wickford Ukip councillor David Harrison had voted against the surgery application in April, when he was a member of the planning committee.

Although he is no longer on the committee, Mr Harrison addressed the meeting to indicate he was now in favour.

He said: “I think some of the reasons for refusal have now been covered and it now marginally tips over towards approval.”

Tory councillors on the committee, who had been in favour of April’s application, called on their colleagues to put the needs of residents first.

Andrew Schrader, vice-chairman of the committee, said: “We have got a clear need for new facilities and a scheme which has the support of NHS England and the Clinical Commissioning Group.

“I don’t understand why we are seriously talking about throwing the application out again.

Five members of the committee voted in favour of the application, with four councillors abstaining.

In a statement, the surgery said: “We look forward to working with the council to build a facility that offers improved services for our patients and an attractive opportunity for GP recruitment in this area, therefore improving health provision in Wickford as a whole.”

Surgery is part of regeneration plan

BASILDON Council leader Phil Turner had warned this week’s vote would be the last chance for the proposed surgery, following previous false starts.

The Market Road site is seen as the final part of a £3.2million regeneration of the town, and Essex County Council has pledged £500,000 towards the scheme.

A political row broke out in April after Ukip and Labour joined forces to refuse the original application.

Councillors who opposed the application officially cited parking concerns as a reason, but Tory members accused them of voting for party political reasons.

After May’s elections, Mr Turner announced he hoped to bring the application back before the planning committee for consideration.

Malcolm Buckley, county councillor for Wickford Crouch, also warned the £500,000 funding could be lost if the scheme was not approved in the near future.

There was also a need for the application to be resolved as the lease on the London Road surgery is due to run out.

It is now hoped Wickford’s other GP surgeries, which are also described as outdated, will be able to upgrade or replace facilities.

Earlier this month, the Echo revealed Basildon Council and NHS England were in talks about redeveloping Wickford Health Centre, in Market Road, to include extra treatment rooms and services.

Earlier this year, patient groups at the Robert Frew Medical Centre, Shotgate Surgery, Wickford Health Centre, Applewood Surgery, London Road Surgery and Swan Lane Surgery joined forces to write to NHS bosses.

The letter highlighted “deep concerns” with how health services would cope with the town’s growing population.