Pharmacy needed to fill high street 'vacuum' - MP

Residents have strong feelings about the pharmacy, says the MP for Esher and Walton

A new pharmacy is "vital" to address a "notable gap" on a Surrey high street, an MP has said.

MP for Esher and Walton Monica Harding said a pharmacy on Thames Ditton High Street would be a "lifeline" for residents.

She said the closure of the Boots Pharmacy had left a "vacuum", which could "impose significant burdens" as people had to travel to alternative sites further from home.

A spokesperson for NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (SHICB) said it was currently processing an application for a new pharmacy in the village "through the appropriate channels".

The spokesperson added the decision would be made taking into account "local needs".

"The strength of feeling about this in the community is palpable," Ms Harding wrote in a letter to the SHICB.

"The service is missed by local residents."

The Liberal Democrat politician said she supported an existing application to open a new pharmacy at 14 High Street.

A petition calling on Surrey County Council and the NHS to recognise the need for a new pharmacy was signed by just under 1,200 people.

A spokesperson for Surrey County Council previously said: "We recognise that local pharmacies play a significant role in supporting local communities, not just because of the services they deliver but also their contribution to community identity."