New GP surgery needed to cope with 1,550 homes near Somerset ‘gigafactory’
It's about plans for the West Woolavington development
Somerset health bosses have warned a new doctors’ surgery may be needed to sustainably deliver a massive new housing development near the county’s ‘gigafactory’.
Persimmon Homes Severn Valley first teased plans in November 2023 for the ‘West Woolavington’ development, which would have seen 1,400 new homes, commercial space and a primary school constructed between the western edge of Woolavington and the Gravity enterprise zone.
After 18 months of radio silence, the developer put forward initial proposals for the development (known as a scoping opinion) in May, with the number of planned homes increased to 1,550 – similar to the Staplegrove urban extension currently being constructed in Taunton.
This scoping request has cleared the first hurdle of the planning process, with more detailed proposals expected to come forward for more detailed public consultation early in the new year.
But NHS Somerset has already warned that the doctors’ surgeries nearest the planned neighbourhood are “currently operating at or beyond effective capacity” – meaning a new surgery may be needed to avoid putting both current and future patients at risk.
The site lies between Woolavington Road and Crancrombe Lane (near the village’s sports pavilion), adjacent to a planned development of 85 homes put forward by Gladman Developments.
The planned development will stretch the western edge of the village to within a few hundred yards of Enterprise Way, the main route into the Gravity enterprise zone from the M5 and the natural boundary with the neighbouring village of Puriton.
The new homes will be accessed from two new junctions on Woolavington Road, either side of Axe Valley Vets, with the planned primary school being earmarked for the centre of the site.
Near the primary school (which would be delivered by the council using funding from the development), a “local centre” would be created with shops, a mobility hub and the potential for new sport facilities.
Kelly Drew, NHS Somerset’s local planning authority partnership manager, submitted her feedback on the plans to the council, noting that 1,550 homes would lead to a major increase in demand for local health services which could not currently be met.
She said: “A scheme of up to 1,550 dwellings is likely to generate a resident population in the order of 3,441 people.
“This represents a substantial uplift in demand for local primary care services.”
The West Woolavington development would be in the catchment of three existing GP surgeries: East Quay Medical Centre in Bridgwater, Edington Surgery in Edington and Woolavington Surgery in Woolavington (with the latter two both being part of the Polden Medical Practice).
East Quay and Edington were among 16 sites in Somerset which received a share of £1m from the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to expand in a bid to create additional appointments – but Ms Drew warned this alone would not be enough.
She continued: “Our assessment indicates that all three practices are currently operating at or beyond effective capacity and are unable to accommodate additional patient growth within existing infrastructure.
“There is no identifiable spare capacity within these practices to absorb the level of population increase associated with the proposed development.
“In the absence of new and appropriately phased primary care provision, the
proposed development would be likely to materially increase GP list sizes beyond sustainable levels, exacerbate existing access constraints (including appointment waiting times), place additional pressure on workforce and estate capacity, and adversely affect patient access to care and health outcomes.”
In light of these potentially “significant effects on healthcare infrastructure and population health”, Ms Drew has formally requested that Persimmon’s more detailed proposals must included a more detailed assessment of primary care needs – including the allocation of necessary funding and potentially the provision of land for a new medical facility within the site.
She concluded: “Without such assessment and mitigation, the impacts on healthcare provision would be significant.”