GP surgery to expand after new homes approved

Desford Medical Centre is having to plan for hundreds more families moving into the area

An "under pressure" GP surgery in Leicestershire has been given permission to extend into a garage to cope with hundreds of new homes being built nearby.

Desford Medical Centre has been given the go-ahead to convert a detached garage into an office.

An existing office space in the main building will also be used as a new consultation room.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said the plans emerged after applications to build hundreds of new homes in the village were approved over the last few years.

Plans to build 80 homes at both Earls Place and Peckleton Lane were among those to be approved in recent years.

A further 120 homes at Ashfield Farm were also approved at appeal after being turned down four times by the district council, the LDRS said.

The scheme attracted 300 objections from residents who were concerned about the impact so many new houses would have on village facilities, including schools and health services.

In planning documents, the medical centre's team said the extra consultation room would help to "cope with increasing demand".

The documents went on to state: "During recent years the village has undergone substantial change.

"The population is now around 3,450 persons and a considerable amount of new housing has extended the village boundary."

The decision was made by delegated authority, the LDRS said, which allows planning officers to decide applications on behalf of the council’s plans committee.