LAND on the Cades Farm Estate in Wellington could be used as a new medical centre – to help meet the needs of an ever-growing population in the town.

There are concerns that GP services in Wellington will not be able to cope in the future with a number of housing developments on the horizon which could amount to an extra 1,800 homes.

Wellington Town Council’s chief executive and town clerk, Dave Farrow, suggested that land at Cades Farm – originally earmarked for a community hall – could instead be used for the building of a new GP surgery.

Mr Farrow, speaking at the council’s informal planning committee meeting on June 2, said: “There is land available on the Cades estate which has been set aside for a community centre. That could potentially become a new medical centre instead.

“Local medical centres are not consulted on their needs with regards new housing developments. But there is a meeting planned with the medical centres so we can ask them what is needed.”

The discussion came during an informal meeting of the council’s planning committee on June 2 about a possible 75-home development being built on land south of Little Jurston on the A38.

Cllr Steve Mercer said he used to work with GPs and analysis suggested that if you had 80 new homes it would work out at about 240 people who in turn, on average, would go to a GP surgery about six times a year – equating to 1,440 visits.

He said that although those statistics were not “monumentally huge” he warned that with seven/eight new housing developments for Wellington in the pipeline there would be problems ahead.

Cllr Mercer described the “drip, drip, drip” process of new developments going up – as opposed to more joined-up thinking – would lead to GP services reaching a “tipping point.”

“It could be the time to start thinking about a new surgery at this end of the town,” he said. “Planners and developers have got to think more about the knock-on effect these developments could have on the town.”

The Mayor, Cllr Janet Lloyd, looking in more detail at the plans for the Little Jurston development, said she would be concerned about the traffic speeds and lack of footpaths for pedestrians.

“We all know people drive along there more than 40mph,” she said. “I can see all sorts of issues with the main entrance and exit to the development site.

“I just think that road safety is an issue along there.”

The site is next to Little Jurston Farm on the A38 – just a short distance from the Westpark Business Park – and would be accessed off the A38 West Buckland Road.

Chris Winter, of West England Developments, said a pavement and lighting would be put along that stretch of the A38 from the planned housing estate to Westpark.

“We have been liaising with the highways department about road safety,” he told councillors.

Cllr Mercer added: “It’s surprising how many large lorries use the A38 at night instead of the motorway.”