Delayed GP surgery for Didcot gets a new developer

Great Western Park, a 3,300-home estate is due to be finished this year, and was initially granted planning permission in 2008, with a new GP surgery included. 

The planning permission for the new surgery dates back about 10 years but there have been repeated delays.

Didcot West county councillor Ian Snowdon launched a petition calling for swift action after the previous developer Assura pulled out, and it quickly attracted more than 2,000 signatures online.

Didcot West county councillor Ian Snowdon (Image: Oxford Mail)

He said: “Finding a new developer is a positive step but there is still some legal work to be done.”

Woodlands Medical Centre has appointed London-based Apsley Henley Med Ltd as the new developer for the long-awaited project.

The appointment, confirmed today, follows action taken by the former NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) to identify an alternative developer.

This comes after Assura’s proposal for the new surgery building was deemed unaffordable.

Great Western Park in Didcot (Image: Oxford Mail)

Olly Glover, MP for Didcot and Wantage, has repeatedly pressed for updates on the delayed scheme.

In October, he raised the issue in the House of Commons with Health Secretary Wes Streeting urging action to help unblock plans. Following this exchange, Mr Streeting promised to ‘find out what’s gone wrong’.

Mr Glover explained at the time that Great Western Park has added more than 3,000 homes to Didcot, with Valley Park under construction adding over 4,000 more. Yet the GP surgery promised in 2008 remains an empty patch of land.

Despite the council having granted planning permission, Woodlands Surgery prepared to run the new facility, and the Integrated Care Board (ICB) supporting the case for one, progress was stalled with NHS England, leaving local primary care services struggling to cope with increasing demand for appointments.

Mr Glover said: “Residents in Great Western Park have waited far too long for the GP surgery that was promised years ago.

“However, today’s announcement is an important step in the right direction. With a new developer now appointed, this should provide the momentum that is needed to get this project up and running.

“My constituents deserve access to primary care that keeps up with housing growth, and I will continue to press the ICB to make sure that this project finally becomes a reality.”

Mr Snowdon’s petition calls for a binding timetable and delivery commitment from the ICB and urgent interim GP capacity measures such as temporary clinical space, additional staff, or expanded appointment capacity.

About £791,000 in developer contributions was secured for the new surgery in 2016.