A new medical centre for the people of Highfield has failed to secure planning permission.
The proposed base in Cambrian Way would replace the current doctors’ surgery in nearby Jupiter Drive, which is now too small for the number of patients.
But on Thursday Dacorum Borough Council’s development control committee refused to grant planning permission for the new centre because the ‘industrial’ look of the building would have an overbearing impact on nearby householders, the design is out of character, the parking provision proposed – 16 spaces – is considered insufficient and planned extract vents would impact on neighbouring properties.
The current doctors’ surgery was built in 1990 for what was then a single-handed teaching practice. Since that time the patient list has grown from 1,600 to 4,500 and, despite a need, doctors work part-time because there are insufficient consultation rooms.
Highfield doctors have been working for several years to try to find an alternative site without success.