Great Western Park, a 3,300-home estate was initially granted planning permission in 2008, with a new GP surgery included.
The planning permission for the new surgery dates back about 10 years but there have been repeated delays.
READ MORE: Pressure to open new GP surgery
Didcot West county councillor Ian Snowdon launched a petition calling for swift action after the previous developer Assura pulled out last year, and it quickly attracted more than 2,000 signatures online.
Didcot West county councillor Ian Snowdon (Image: Oxford Mail)
Woodlands Medical Centre has now appointed London-based Apsley Henley Med Ltd as the new developer for the long-awaited project.
The appointment follows action taken by the former NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) to identify an alternative developer.
Now, the latest positive step has been taken after housing developers Taylor Wimpey transferred developer contributions for the scheme and healthcare site to Vale of White Horse District Council.
About £791,000 in developer contributions was pledged for the new surgery in 2016.
Great Western Park in Didcot (Image: Contributed)
Mr Snowdon said: “This is a genuinely positive step forward on the long-awaited healthcare provision for Great Western Park.
I’ve been informed that the healthcare site has now officially transferred from Taylor Wimpey to the council, along with the section 106 funding secured for the project.
“After years of frustration and delays, this is an important milestone and removes another hurdle in the process.”
Mr Snowdon added: “The land and the Section 106 contribution have now transferred from Taylor Wimpey to the council, removing two important hurdles that have held this project back.”
“This isn’t just about Great Western Park. Everyone in Didcot and the surrounding area stands to benefit.
“Thousands of new homes have placed enormous additional pressure on Didcot’s existing GP facilities, so creating this long overdue additional capacity at GWP should help relieve some of that pressure across the town.”
Mr Snowdon said he would not celebrate until “spades were in the ground” and wanted to see a clear timetable from the council and the NHS setting out exactly what happens next, when construction will begin and when residents can realistically expect to walk through the doors.
Olly Glover, MP for Didcot and Wantage, has also repeatedly pressed for updates on the delayed scheme.
In October, he raised the issue in the House of Commons with former Health Secretary Wes Streeting urging action to help unblock plans. Following this exchange, Mr Streeting promised to ‘find out what’s gone wrong’.
Mr Glover explained at the time that Great Western Park has added more than 3,000 homes to Didcot, with Valley Park under construction adding over 4,000 more.
Mr Snowdon’s petition called for a binding timetable and delivery commitment from the ICB and urgent interim GP capacity measures such as temporary clinical space, additional staff, or expanded appointment capacity.
#Delayed #surgery #Didcot #funding #boost