Rural GP surgery plans approved after eviction

The Haverthwaite GP surgery serves people in hard-to-reach areas of the Lake District

Plans to grow a rural GP surgery have been approved after the practice was evicted from its former premises.

The Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) gave Oakbank Surgery Limited the green light to develop a new surgery at Haverthwaite, near Ulverston, Cumbria.

Haverthwaite Surgery had to leave its rented site in nearby Backbarrow last November after a proposed 65% hike in its rental lease agreement.

The surgery temporarily moved into Oak Bank, a detached home, and now a privately-funded practice can be built on land next to it to "future-proof" it.

Planning documents said the surgery served about 3,000 patients in "hard-to-reach" areas of western Windermere and Coniston, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

They added it would create a "much-needed" hub for "an ever-increasing rural population".

The "environmentally friendly" building would include a community space for wellbeing, mindfulness and yoga classes, planning documents showed.

A report prepared by LDNPA planning officers said it "would ensure the continuation of an important community facility".