Today’s meeting of South Gloucestershire Council’s Development Control (West) Committee is likely to decide the fate of a planning application that would see the floorspace of Bradley Stoke Surgery increase by 131%. Planning officials have already recommended refusal of the application on the grounds that –
The proposed extension, by reason of its size, design and external appearance, would be out of keeping with the existing building and, if allowed, would result in a cramped form of development that would have a detrimental effect on the streetscene …
Local Councillor Sarah Pomfret “called in” the application for a site inspection, which took place on Friday 13th June. The minutes of that inspection show that the Councillors resolved that Council officers should –
… bring forward a full and detailed report to include clarification as to whether any car parking spaces would be lost as a result of the proposal.
which seems rather odd, since a full and detailed report was already available before the site meeting, stating that planning officials had no concerns on transport grounds. The Councillors apparently made no observations on the scale of the proposal and its potential effect on the streetscene.
An earlier planning application for a scheme that would see the floorspace of the surgery increase by a massive 150% was thrown out by the Council late last year. The surgery partners appealed against that decision and the application is currently with the government’s Planning Inspectorate, whose inspector will visit the site on Monday (30th June). The Journal understands that a final decision can then be expected after a further five to six weeks.
Land previously reserved for a new health centre at Savages Wood Road currently lies vacant, after South Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust back-tracked on its original plans (announced in 2005) and instead opted for expansion of existing GP facilities. Three years on, residents of Bradley Stoke are still waiting to see the promised improvements in healthcare provision within the town.
