The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Neighbours of a doctors’ surgery set for expansion fear their concerns over lack of parking and resulting potential dangers have been ignored.
Indications are that Munro Medical Centre will get permission for a second consulting room at its surgery in Church Walk, Pinchbeck, which is currently only used a couple of times a week.
The surgery relies on a parking area owned by neighbouring hairdresser Kirstie Taylor.
Church Walk resident Brenda Parslow said: “We do not object in principle to the much-needed and better use of this facility but the inconsiderate/unsafe parking that will undoubtedly ensue has happened in the past and does not appear to have been taken into consideration.
“Unfortunately, residents’ concern over what appears to have been a ‘rushed’ planning approval have been ignored or dismissed, particularly with regard to our concerns over safety and parking issues in Church Walk, which is a narrow public right of way.”
Ms Taylor added: “Cars used to double park and back on to the main road and that was with one consulting room. What is it going to be like with two?”
The chairman’s panel of South Holland District Council’s planning committee has given authority to approve the plan, though ward members Coun Sally-Ann Slade and Coun Elizabeth Sneath called for rejection.
Dr Graham Wheatley said: “We hope that, together with local residents and the local authority, we can find a solution which takes into account concerns but allows the achievement of an important improvement to local village facilities, which would be refreshing as usually we hear of closures, not improvements.
“This is an opportunity which is unlikely to be repeated, and which will secure the future of the branch surgery, something we very much want to achieve.”
Planning committee chairman Coun Roger Gambba-Jones believes the application did not breach planning policies and would be approved on appeal, even if rejected locally.
He said: “As much as we empathise, we would have no leg to stand on should an inspector come along and hear both sides of the argument.”
