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Tuesday 11 December 2018

Doctors object to retirement village plans > they can't cope with the pressure of extra elderly residents

We are to get a 'retirement village' at Knowle:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: a summary of the issues
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: moving to Honiton...

And we are to get a 'retirement village' in Sidford:
Futures Forum: Proposals for sheltered housing for the elderly in Sidford > third planning application approved, despite the area 'not needing more sheltered accommodation'

With more media reports out today:
40 sheltered apartments to be built in Sidford - Radio Exe
Former care home will be demolished and turned into retirement flats - Devon Live

The problem is that we won't have enough health care provision for the incoming elderly:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: a serious shortage of care workers in the Sid Valley area will mean that the new residents 'may experience problems' finding care provision

This is exactly what is happening just down the road and just around the corner: 

Doctors object to retirement village plans

Tuesday, December 11th, 2018 11:05am

By Ed Oldfield



An image from a consultation document in March of what part of the Sladnor Park retirement village could look like

They can't cope with the pressure of extra elderly residents

Doctors are objecting to plans for a retirement village in Torbay because of the pressure extra elderly residents will add to local health and care services “already close to breaking point.”

English Care Villages has submitted plans to Torbay Council for a 159-home “continuing care retirement community” at Sladnor Park, a former holiday park near the village of Maidencombe on the coast between Torquay and Shaldon.

Maidencombe Residents Association says the apartments would be too expensive for locals and the isolated site two and a half miles from the nearest urban centre at St Marychurch would bring in outsiders who would increase pressure on health and care services.

Objections to the plan include one from Torquay GP, Dr Roger Fearnley, who warned health services were already “close to breaking point” and said the Sladnor park development would attract people retiring from outside the local area.

He said in a comment on the planning application: “This influx of people would put significant further strains on health and social care services which are already close to breaking point.

“I am not aware of any meaningful conversations between the developers and local GP practices. There seems to be the assumption ‘we will cope.’ We may not.”

...

Doctors object to retirement village plans - Radio Exe

And yet where further health care facilities were promised are not going to happen:

Newton Poppleford won’t be getting a new surgery

PUBLISHED: 16:30 11 December 2018

Beth Sharp



Newton Poppleford area for proposed development of 40 houses. Picture by Alex Walton. Ref shv 9458-16-13AW

Permission is being sought to build houses on land, previously set aside for a new doctors’ surgery in Newton Poppleford.

An application to build 40 new homes along with a new medical centre at King Alfred Way was approved by a planning inspectorate in March 2017.

At the time, the developers, Clinton Devon Estates, had been in discussions with Coleridge Medical Centre (CMC) which had a strong desire to secure the GP practice and had secured funding from the NHS for this to happen. But in May 2018, CMC withdrew as the funds were no longer available.

At the time, a CMC spokesman told the Herald that GPs had evolved with much more emphasis on innovative ways of working and broadening the range of co-located staff to provide specialist support in shared premises. The developers said they had approached others who might be interested in occupying the surgery but no one showed an interest.

Clinton Devon Estates have now submitted proposals to build two extra new homes at the development.

Newton Poppleford and Harpford Parish Council has slammed the proposals. A spokesperson said: “The council feels that it is disingenuous of the applicant, having been granted planning permission on the basis of the pledge of a doctor’s surgery, to now seek to walk away from their promises.

“The local community has strongly supported a new surgery for the village; through letters of support, a petition and the nascent Neighbourhood plan. CMC operate the current surgery in the village and has declared it inadequate for their purposes. Despite supporting a new surgery initially, they publicly declared it would no longer be viable for them. Residents in the parish will not be taken on by Sidmouth Beacon Centre, which leaves Coleridge, in Ottery, as the main medical centre for the village, despite there being no direct public transport links.”

They added the parish council didn’t believe all avenues had been exhausted with regards to the new surgery and would welcome an immediate discussion with all parties to find a potential solution.

The first homes which are a part of the scheme, that included 16 affordable homes, are due to be completed in winter 2018 and the whole development is hoped to be finished by winter 2019.


Newton Poppleford won’t be getting a new surgery | Latest Sidmouth and Ottery News - Sidmouth Herald
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