Doctor's surgery likely to get purpose-built new home

A DOCTOR’S surgery in York is due to be razed to the ground and replaced with a new two-storey development after health chiefs deemed the existing building is failing to provide adequate facilities.

The current surgery has been running for the last quarter of a century in a converted home . However, the primary care trust – NHS North Yorkshire and York – carried out a survey of the building in 2008.

The Trust was critical of the existing facilities and claimed that it was “at risk of imminent breakdown” after analysing its location, physical condition, capacity for development and its energy bills.

Plans have now been submitted to York Council’s west and city centre area planning sub-committee by the Partners York Medical Group to demolish the building in Moorcroft Road and replace it with the new two-storey surgery.

The proposals have been recommended for approval by the Council’s planning officers, and councillors are due to meet on Thursday to discuss the application.

Councillor Ann Reid, a ward councillor who is also a member of the west and city centre area planning sub-committee, raised the issue after she was contacted by residents concerned about the state of the current GP surgery.

The report carried out by the PCT in 2008 deemed that the current surgery was a D rating, which is below the acceptable B ranking.

Nearby residents have voiced opposition to the scheme and claimed the scale of the development would not fit into the character of the area and would also lead to a loss of privacy.

Council officers admitted that a new two-storey building would create a “slightly increased overshadowing” to neighbouring properties, but maintained that it would not be severe enough to warrant refusing the planning application on those grounds alone.