A GP surgery has lodged an appeal after it was refused planning permission to build a new pharmacy.
The application for a ground-floor extension to Leeds Road surgery was rejected by Harrogate Council in June.
Practice Manager Andrew King told the Ripon Gazette the practice believes it is “within its right to appeal” and feels “equally as confident” as it was for the initial application.
The surgery’s partners planned for the pharmacy to be open for 100 hours per week, from 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 8pm Sunday, creating four full-time and four part-time jobs.
King argues that as well as serving the community, the new pharmacy would help fund much-needed improvements to the rest of the building.
“It’s a business proposition, yes, and it’s very difficult when you look at healthcare and when you look at a business, people don’t believe they go hand in hand,” he said.
“But the partners own this building and we have got to bring it up to standard.”
While the practice claimed it had received “a lot of support” from its patients, residents raised concerns that the plans could worsen the traffic in the area.
In rejecting the application, planners said the impact on neighbours had to outweigh the needs of patients.
Your comments (terms and conditions apply):
“I actually do not believe the need of the residents was the reason behind this refusal. It is to do with the councils misguided belief that GPs earn so much money. As a spouse of a GP and somebody that works in a GP partnership, I am yet to find a GP that earns half as much has been quoted in the press since the new contract. It is time Doctors stood up to this nonsense bashing that has gone on for too long” – Tina Chigbo, London
