Expansion of soon-to-grow Wednesbury estate’s medical centre given green light

Sandwell Council has approved plans that will see the Village Medical Centre, Crankhall Lane in Friar Park, Wednesbury extended to help prepare for the hundreds of new homes expected to be built in the town in the coming years.

The two-storey extension would also house the pharmacy’s robotic dispensary – described as one of the first of its kind in the UK – which would sort and distribute prescriptions and medicines.

Installing the robot would “massively improve the capacity and efficiency of the pharmacy” the application said.

The plans were amended several times since being submitted in June last year with the final amendment made in October before the planning application was approved this week.

The height of the two-storey extension was reduced after a complaint from a neighbour and the main roof would be changed from a gable to a hipped roof.

The extension would more than double the building’s floor space and result in 10 more part-time jobs.

The work would see the loss of five parking spaces which the council asked the applicant Sukh Singh to justify.

Cllr Simon Hackett, who represents Friar Park, had raised concerns about the plan on behalf of a Crankhall Lane neighbour affected by ongoing parking problems.

A transport statement submitted in the summer said that 24 parking spaces would be required for the extended building – including three on-street spaces – which it claimed could be accommodated.

The medical centre opened in 2008 and was last extended in 2016.

The application described the existing medical centre as “reasonably adequate” but admits the surgery would not be able to cope with the anticipated sharp rise in housing in Friar Park.

The improvements would also allow the surgery to take on walk-in day appointments and “alleviate the stress of local hospitals,” the planning application to Sandwell Council said.

The surgery and pharmacy sit just half a mile from the proposed 600-home urban village off Friar Park Road. Another 100 homes have been built on playing fields behind High Point Academy in Friar Park.

A statement included with the application said: “The current premises are in reasonably adequate condition but some of the clinical rooms are undersized and the current footprint does not allow space for the anticipated increase in list size consequential from planned housing growth in the locality.

“The development of this site is intended to allow for the growth that is not only projected but has been witnessed throughout the recent years at the existing Village Medical Centre and pharmacy.

“The new development to the existing centre will allow for more efficient working with the facilities to support a larger capacity of patients and activities, and allowing facilities to be adequately sized to the required NHS standards.

“The alterations also allow the health centre to take on walk-in day appointments to alleviate the stress of local hospitals

“A key feature of this development is the improvement and modernisation of the pharmacy, including a new integrated dispensing robot.

“This robot is one of the first of its kind in the UK and will massively improve the capacity and efficiency of the pharmacy, contributing to the efficient processing for the local community.”