Milverton Parish Council opposes former surgery plans

A total of 85 people out of 105 who responded said they want the premises in Creedwell Orchard, Milverton, to be retained for community use.

A planning application for change of use that would allow the 33-year-old building to be lived in has been lodged with Taunton Deane Borough Council.

It currently has a restrictive covenant meaning it could only be used for community purposes such as a gym or a shop.

It is still owned by the former GP practice partners and is currently on the market for £125,000, 13 months after it closed and patients were transferred to Lister House Surgery, three miles away in Wiveliscombe.

Milverton Parish Council has written to TDBC in the hope of blocking the change of use application.

Among points supporting its stance are: it would be a permanent loss of a community facility and flies in the face of accepted policy; Milverton is not struggling to meet housing targets; it is unsuitable as a house as it sits in the middle of a public car park and has no outside space.

A statement adds: "It should also be noted that the property is surrounded on three sides by bungalows which enjoys pedestrian and vehicular access close to the building meaning that privacy will be almost impossible to achieve.

"There is also a potential hazard from vehicle movements to and from these neighbouring properties."

The parish survey identified a range of potential uses such as archive storage, youth provision, independent health practitioners, a community hub or a play group.

The former partners of the practice resigned en masse following problems recruiting doctors and it was run for a year by Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

The trust closed the service in February 2018, when the building became redundant.

Most patients now have to travel to Wiveliscombe for appointments, although a drop-in clinic is held twice a week in the nearby community centre - that will drop to once a week from March 10.