A NEW £6.75 million GP surgery will be built in Worcester despite concerns about an increase in traffic and a lack of parking.

A building similar to a retirement home, complete with 51 long-lease apartments, will also be built next door as part of theplans for a new healthcare centre in Northwick Road.

That will care for about 20,000 patients from two existing city surgery practices at Berwyn House Surgery, Shrubbery Avenue, and at Thorneloe Lodge Surgery, Barbourne Road, and will cater for the equivalent of 54 full-time staff.

It is hoped that the wide-range of facilities, including GP consultation rooms, a minor operations theatre, and an in-house pharmacy, will help the modern medical centre ease pressure on the county’s hospitals.

But people living near the former Faithful Overalls site, near the junction of Eastbank Drive, were vociferous in their opposition throughout the planning process and raised objections at a meeting of Worcester City Council’s planning committee.

Residents’ spokesman Ray Needham, of Waterford Close, said the area was already congested and had problems with school run parking. He said: “This will exacerbate the problem. This area cannot cope with this development.”

Councillors sympathised with residents’ concerns but ultimately sided with Bob Pender of Worcestershire County Council's highways department who believed the combined 138 car parking spaces for the two projects, some of which can be used by parents during school run periods, would be sufficient.

He also said changing the entrance to the site from off Northwick Road to off Eastbank Drive was the “better of two evils”for pedestrians and motorists.

However, councillors expressed their desire for traffic regulation as soon as possible once the development is complete.

It was also agreed developer Projects 2000, handling the GP surgery project, which has joined forces with Aspen Retirement, must pay £36,800 towards public transport improvements in the area.

Nobody from either ’ surgery was available for comment after the meeting but we previously reported how work could start on the site late next year and be completed in 2012.