GP surgery expansion rejected over parking worries

Plans for a major expansion of a GP surgery in Peterborough have been rejected after concerns over parking.

Werrington Healthcare Ltd submitted a proposal for a two-storey extension at its practice in Church Street, including four new consultation rooms and a backup emergency generator.

Residents and the local highways authority said the development could worsen an existing shortage of parking spaces.

At the planning meeting of the council on Tuesday, councillors rejected the proposal by seven votes to three.

The site already provides a range of services, including a pharmacy and a dentist.

Staffing levels would have increased by seven full-time and 12 part-time employees, bringing the total workforce to 85.

The practice said the development was needed to accommodate growing demand following the transfer of patients from the former Werrington Health Centre, which shut in August 2025.

However, on-site parking would have been reduced from 60 spaces, to 54.

The application attracted 30 objections from residents, who raised concerns about traffic and the impact on the surrounding area.

Councillors defied the authority's own officers at Tuesday's meeting, because the planning department had recommended the application be approved.

A council spokeswoman said the official decision notice would be published in "due course".

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