A BID to turn the former doctors’ surgery in Milverton into a house has been refused planning permission by Somerset West and Taunton Council.

The request by Mr S Wood, of Weston-super-Mare, for a change of use to a two-bedroom house was refused on the grounds that the building did not provide a satisfactory level and quality of space for a house and the proposal would result in the loss of a community facility.

Planning officers said the site was not suitable for residential use. “Although theoretically a ‘brown field’ site, its plot is so restricted as to be totally unsuitable for a dwelling house because there is no outside space,” said their report.

“The property sits in the middle of a public car park with less than one metre of land outside the boundary wall, with access to the building for pedestrians, vehicles and services completely at the discretion of the car park owner.

“Parking in Milverton is at a premium and therefore any suggestion that the parking area be reduced to enlarge the footprint in future would be strongly resisted.

“It should also be noted that the property is surrounded on three sides by bungalows which enjoy pedestrian and vehicular access close to the building, meaning that privacy will be almost impossible to achieve. There is also a potential hazard from vehicle movements to and from these neighbouring properties.”

There was no evidence that there was no longer a community need for the building, and a parish council survey had identified a range of potential uses from archive storage to youth provision, independent health practitioners to a play group.

There was also no evidence to show that the building was a financially non-viable community asset, and the change of use would “result in a 100 per cent loss of this community facility and finally extinguish any chance of retaining local NHS functions within the village,” the report said.

Milverton Parish Council earlier this year undertook a survey which showed 85 of 105 villagers wanted the building kept for community use.

The former doctors’ surgery is still owned by former partners in the GP practice, and was last leased by Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust before it closed the surgery in February last year, with patients transferred to the main Lister House Surgery in Wiveliscombe.

The building has a restrictive covenant meaning it could only be used for community purposes.