New plan for North Bersted doctor's surgery

The partners of Bersted Green Surgery want to move into bigger premises on the site of their existing building in Durlston Drive.

Their latest application for planning permission is being handled by PMP Health Developments after the seven GPs were unable to make progress with their initial 1m plans.

PMP has asked Arun District Council to approve the building of the new surgery, a pharmacy and associated car park.

The scheme also covers new detached changing rooms for the adjoining Laburnum Grove recreation ground along with the change of use of a small area of the recreation ground to form part of the proposed surgery site.

A statement by Studio Four Architects with the planning application says the present surgery dates from 1986 and is inadequate to deal with the increasing number of patients '“ now more than 10,000 '“ and services the practice is required to provide.

Planning approval for the original plans was granted by Arun in March 2008.

"Following approval, the developers were unable to continue with the construction of the approved scheme and the GPs had to look elsewhere for a healthcare building specialist able to progress the project," says Studio Four Architects.

"The current scheme was therefore developed with a similar principle to the previously approved scheme but with some key differences."

The two main changes are to ensure the current surgery can stay open while the new one is being built and the construction of the new changing rooms can take place without diverting a large underground drain.

The proposed surgery will have almost twice the floor space as the current one at 1,299sq m compared with 685sq m. NHS officials in West Sussex have backed the scheme.

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