A DECISION on whether room for a new GP surgery should be erased from a housing estate in Wolvercote and replaced with seven flats has been delayed.

Oxford City Council's west area planning committee was recommended to allow developer CALA homes to remove a GP surgery building from the 190-home Wolvercote Paper Mill site when it met on Tuesday night.

But councillors on the committee were unsure about some details of the plans, and voted to defer a decision.

The deferral followed worries from locals including Chris Hardman of Wolvercote Neighbourhood Forum, who said people would feel 'betrayed' if the GP surgery was removed.

Oxford Mail: Plans to replace a GP surgery at Wolvercote Mill with flats have been delayed. Picture: Ed NixPlans to replace a GP surgery at Wolvercote Mill with flats have been delayed. Picture: Ed Nix

Homes at the site. Picture: Ed Nix

Mr Hardman said: "There is evidence of overwhelming support for a surgery at a better location in Wolvercote. This was the expectation of the community and played a lot of support for the development at Wolvercote Mill."

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A report to the committee said CALA had tried to find a GP Practice which wanted to take over the site, but had failed to do so.

It had also approached the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, which is responsible for local health care management in the county, to see if it wanted to house a surgery there.

But the CCG said it wanted to focus its limited funding on other areas of the county where growing populations meant the healthcare need was growing, like Didcot and Bicester.

According to the report, CALA had even offered to lease the building to the CCG at a 'peppercorn' rent.

Oxford Mail: Plans to replace a GP surgery at Wolvercote Mill with flats have been delayed. Picture: Ed NixPlans to replace a GP surgery at Wolvercote Mill with flats have been delayed. Picture: Ed Nix

Picture: Ed Nix

But committee member Liz Wade said she had heard from the CCG the rent was actually £100,000.

Alex Hollingsworth proposed a deferral to find out which was correct.

He said: "I am rather concerned the discussion here seems to be following the pattern of the recent American election whereby there are an alternative set of facts being put forward."

He added: "Those things are wildly apart, it would be helpful for our deliberations to find evidence of this £100,000."