A new flagship surgery in South Ham looks set to be given the green light.
On January 7, residents got a sneak peak at revised plans for a new medical centre at the junction of Western Way and Pinkerton Road.
The second round of public consultations gave residents a chance to provide their feedback.
South Ham councilor Sean Keating confirmed that the revised plans are likely to be given the go ahead.
He said said that council planning chiefs were in the last stage of talks with developers to get the the project off the ground.
Cllr Keating said: “It has been given the green light but the go button has not yet been pressed.”
Proposals include a new doctors’ surgery with seven consulting rooms, dental practice and pharmacy on the existing St Andrew’s Church site.
Also planned is a new Methodist church to be built next to the surgery to replace St Andrews, which would be demolished.
The development would replace the GP surgery on Paddock Road, which in a report to council was described as “inadequate for modern primary care”.
But one councilor has voiced his concern over the development.
The council has said the new surgery would mean the loss of Hatch Warren’s satellite surgery on Moorhams Avenue.
Hatch Warren and Beggarwood councilor Dan Putty claims this would have a big impact on residents.
He said: “The residents will face a lot of hardship if their surgery moves to South Ham.
“If people have to shift across to the new surgery, then they will have to travel a lot further – its fine if you have a car, but its not so easy for the many that don’t.
“There are no direct bus routes – people will have to head into town, then get another bus out there. Try doing that with two children in tow.”
Cllr Putty is calling on council chiefs to consider introducing measures to help stuck residents get to their appointments.
He wants them to consider introducing a shuttle bus ferrying patients or providing nurses and doctors in the community.
He said: “People who wish to keep their doctors when they move on need easy access. But I would ideally like to have at least a community nurse or doctor able to get to the people.
“We are not against South Ham getting the new surgery – far from it, it’s a great development and really important, but our residents are going to lose out because of it.”
