A new GP surgery should be built in Wichelstowe to ease pressure at other health centres nearby say councillors.

Since 2009 when people started moving into East Wichel, they have had to look outside the neighbourhood for their healthcare, including Wroughton.

But borough councillor Stan Pajak believes a new surgery should be built in the area to avoid increasing the burden on neighbouring centres as construction at Middle Wichel continues.

“It must be the first priority, Wroughton is very near capacity because that’s where everyone is going," he said.

“Wichelstowe will grow and grow so it’s a top priority. They’ve got a pub, some shops and a school but there isn’t a proper health centre.

“The council should push for this otherwise you’ll run into problems all around.

"Wroughton is coping, but they’re running close to their limits.

“It’s strange at the moment because you can’t go in to see a doctor, you need to do it over the phone, but these are things we need to sort out while we have this time.

“I don’t know about you, but I’d like to walk to the doctor rather than drive, everyone would desire that.”

Colleague Jane Milner-Barry, believes the council should ask the developer to install a surgery as part of the development plan.

She added: “We’re so short of GPs anyway, especially since the one on Marlborough Road closed some years ago now which was a real loss.

“Since that there’s been a lot of houses being built in the area. It’s absolutely essential that there should be a GP surgery to serve the whole of Wichelstowe.

“If there can’t be one in East Wichel, which would be excellent, then there should be one in Middle Wichel to serve the whole of Wichelstowe and I want to be reassured that it will happen.

She added: “It’s in the draft local plan, that there will be a local GP, but we need the reassurance that it will happen and that there will be a building put aside for the surgery.”

A spokesman for the borough council said it is looking into the possibility of a new surgery being provided in the area.

“The council is developing a fabulous community in Wichelstowe through its joint venture with Barratt Developments and a brand-new doctor’s surgery is an important part of those plans.

“We are in regular dialogue with Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group about the future provision of the surgery.”