Health centre and supermarket plan gets go-ahead

A supermarket and a garden centre are part of the revised plans given the green light

Plans for a new health centre and supermarket in North Lincolnshire have been approved by a council planning committee.

The two-storey health centre and other facilities are set to be built on the existing site of a garden centre in Epworth off the A161 Belton Road, with the garden centre set to be demolished and replaced.

Millea Land, who proposed the plans, said the development would bring "jobs, better medical facilities and better shopping choice".

Councillors gave the scheme conditional approval, with about 100 jobs set to be created upon completion.

The local NHS supported the scheme, with limited parking at the existing South Axholme Practice on Epworth's High Street.

Speaking about the current surgery, Erica Ellerington, from NHS North Yorkshire and Humber Integrated Care Board, told councillors: "It is old, it is worn, there is no scope to extend, we can't go up, we can't go out."

A 14% increase in the number of patients in the area is forecast by 2032, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

About 50 jobs would be linked to the supermarket and 46 with the health centre, the meeting heard, with the plan also including a small educational area.

Some councillors previously raised concerns about issues including pedestrian access and the impact the supermarket might have on nearby businesses.

An application to build at least 60 homes at the site along with a charity store were submitted in 2023 and later withdrawn.

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