Health managers have ignored protests by patients, and watchdogs' recommendations, by deciding to build a GP 'super surgery' at Oxford's Radcliffe Infirmary site.

At a meeting yesterday (Monday) Oxford City Primary Care Trust board members agreed to the plans, housing up to six doctors' surgeries as well as services like podiatry, x-ray and sexual health. The decision -- from four possible options -- came despite heated comments from members of the public, who claimed it would be more difficult for them to get to the three-acre site off Walton Street.

David Hills said he would be forced to travel twice as far if his Beaumont Street-based GP moved to the RI.

He added: "As a matter of principle I'd have thought our GPs should be in our community, and not too far from our homes. This idea of a central unit is like a mini hospital.

"We read the headlines about a super-surgery, but there's not going to be anything super about it.

"It'll just be loads of GPs in one place."

The PCT came to its decision after Oxford's health overview and scrutiny sub-committee claimed insufficient con- sultation had been done. It recommended having two sites -- at the RI and in Tidmarsh Lane. But board members said the single-site option would allow GPs and other health workers to provide better patient care.

Non-executive Frankie Brown, who is also a practice nurse in Blackbird Leys, said: "Space is at a premium and I know, because I'm one of the lucky health professionals moving to the new Blackbird Leys Health Centre next week."

The PCT also ignored Oxford's Local Plan, which suggested the RI could house practices currently at Jericho Health Centre, Walton Street, but should not be developed for other health services.

After the meeting, PCT chief executive Andrea Young said the Lift company -- the private organisation funding the project -- would now press ahead for outline planning permission.

Ms Young said: "Over 200 people responded to our consultation, and there's a wealth of material showing they have understood the process very well.

"I think the public has engaged with us at a much deeper level than at times has been given credibility for."

Of the Local Plan, she said: "The city council has now acknowledged there's a lack of attention given to primary care in the plan."

Health scrutiny sub-committee chairman Paul Sargent said it would meet today and make recommendations to the joint Oxfordshire health overview and scrutiny committee, which will discuss the RI plan on Thursday. He added: "It could be called into the Secretary of State for Health, which none of us really want."