Empingham Medical Centre could relocate to site marked for housing

A GP surgery could move to a nearby greenfield site earmarked for a small housing development.

In recent years, Empingham Medical Centre has had a huge increase in patients, following poor inspections by neighbouring surgeries and two years ago was processing 100 new registrations at the height of the surge.

At a Rutland County Council planning committee meeting last night (Tuesday), councillors agreed to grant the surgery, which has several thousand patients, a further three-year extension to a temporary portable building which was set up in 2021 to create more consulting rooms.

The planning report said the surgery was ‘actively pursuing’ a new site and the council’s development manager Justin Johnson revealed the location the surgery is considering.

He said: “The surgery has been actively looking at alternative sites and there is a site on Whitwell Road in Empingham, which is one that is currently being pursued as part of the new local plan that we are working on. So there is a potential site coming forward.

“So this three year addition would enable the local plan to go through and hopefully enable the surgery to potentially relocate there at some point in the future.”

The local plan, which has been submitted to the government for consideration, says there will be 28 homes on the site.

The surgery has said it will need to secure external investment to develop the new medical centre.

Empingham parish councillor Stephen Turnbull said the parish council was very supportive of the application to keep the temporary building for a further three years, as well as the location plans.

The meeting heard that parking is an issue in the area. The portable building was built on the existing car park and so there is limited parking for patients. When the temporary building was applied for in 2021 planning officers had recommended the committee refuse the plans due to parking concerns, but the councillors considered the health impact and community good was greater.

Officer Julie Smith said the surgery currently has six parking spaces, but the original planning application has said this should be changed to four disabled spaces. She said she has reiterated that this needs to be done under this new application.

Double yellow lines will also be painted on a section of the road near to the surgery.

Coun Ray Payne (Lib Dem) said: “The site is no longer fit for purpose. It is a great success. I have driven many people there as a volunteer driver.”

A number of councillors who use the surgery were unable to vote on the planning application due to having an interest. The temporary surgery extension was granted with eight councillors in favour and four abstaining.