WELLINGTON Medical Centre has said it welcomed the views and feedback about the proposed Mantle Street centre after campaigners joined forces in protest last Thursday.

An application for a new centre to replace the existing Bulford centre will come before Wellington Town Council on May 14, but many residents are opposed to the plans.

More than 60 people met at the house of Andrew and Karen Paxton on election night in protest of the new centre and Wellington Medical Centre released a statement in response which reads: "The Partners at Wellington Medical Centre are aware that there was a recent demonstration by some residents opposing plans for redevelopment of the surgery and understand that there might be some residents who may not appreciate the many benefits that a new facility would bring local people.

Wellington Medical Centre is severely cramped and struggles to meet the accommodation needs of its 13,000 registered patients. The practice is therefore compelled to pursue its planning application and awaits a decision from the Planning Authority.

Although we are sure the people who protested on Election Day were sincere in their views, we would ask them to appreciate that the Medical Centre currently operates with only half the floor space you might expect for a practice of this size.

Patients and the public rightly have high expectations of their local health services and expect to be seen in a modern, comfortable and safe environment.

It is time for the Wellington Medical Centre to modernise, and provide the healthcare facilities that patients deserve. In recognising the limitations of the existing premises and securing planning consent for an alternative use for the present site the doctors at the practice have created an opportunity to do so.

The selection of a suitable site is not a decision that has been taken lightly. Since 1997, 12 other sites within Wellington have been fully considered before choosing the current site. For a variety of reasons, these sites proved to not be viable e.g. too remote from the centre of Wellington, not achievable in a realistic timescale, and planning permission being refused.

The Mantle Street site offers the possibility of developing a new state-of-the-art Medical Centre, with a range of associated services that will not only satisfy the present needs of the people of Wellington, but also provide opportunities for us to be able to respond to future changes in the provision of healthcare locally.

We understand that some patients may still have concerns about the redevelopment and we would therefore welcome their views and feedback. This can be addressed to the Practice Manager.

We also have a Patient Group and anyone with concerns may prefer to address their comments to the Group, or apply to join. Comments or enquiries about becoming a member can be sent to the Practice Manager.

From the Partners of Wellington Medical Centre."