Long-awaited GP surgery moves 'step closer'

Plans for a long-awaited GP surgery have been submitted.

Residents began to move on to Great Western Park in Didcot, Oxfordshire, more than 12 years ago, but health facilities promised in the original proposals have still not been built.

The area's MP said an amended planning application submitted this week was a "significant step forward".

The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Berkshire Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) said it was looking forward to the "project progressing as quickly as possible for the benefit for residents."

The lack of a new facility has caused pressure on other healthcare providers in the town, and one GP said her surgery was "bursting at the seams".

Olly Glover, the Liberal Democrat MP who represents Didcot & Wantage, said the facility was "desperately needed".

"It's been a long wait, but I'm pleased to see the Integrated Care Board has submitted their detailed planning application," he said

"This a significant step forward in the plan to get a GP surgery on Didcot Great Western Park."

Ian Snowdon, a Conservative councillor in the town, said: "This is a hugely delayed piece of infrastructure for Didcot.

"With Didcot taking so many new houses, a lot of these residents arrive and when they try to register with a healthcare provider in Didcot they're simply refused because there's no room."

BOB ICB has previously said, pending approval, work could start by the end of this year.

It blamed delays on the fact that multiple agencies - including NHS England and Vale of White Horse District Council - were involved, as well as legal complexities and economic challenges.

A consultation on the plan is open until 27 February.

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.