MIDDLETON St George doctors have won permission to extend their surgery to help cope with an influx of new patients.

Councillors will allow the surgery at Felix House to provide a single storey extension to house two consultation rooms and a meeting area.

At a borough planning committee meeting, councillors heard the practice would not be able to take on new patients unless the extension went ahead.

Addressing the meeting, Dr Emma Peart, one of four doctors based at the practice, said: "We are all in agreement that the surgery is inadequate. The patient list has grown by 15pc in the last six years and is continuing to grow.

"All the partners want to do is to provide a high quality service for the people of Middleton St George and to do this we need to extend the practice.

"If we can't, we will be forced to take the undesirable move of stopping our growing list."

Planning officers had recommended the development be refused because it would be likely to cause damage to a horse chestnut tree and have detrimental effect on neighbouring properties.

Middleton St George Coun Doris Jones, said: "The doctors will not be able to cope with additional patients with what they have now. The surgery also covers Sadberge and I'm very concerned about what will happen to their health care."

Middleton St George and Sadberge Parish Councils had supported the extension.

A resident objected to the proposal because he felt the building would come too close to his home and was a "stopgap" measure, but councillors disagreed.