Medical centre approved on village's green belt

A HUGE new medical centre on the edge of Marston Green was approved by the council's planning committee last week.
The purpose-built facility - which is around four times the size of the ageing doctor's surgery in Chelmsley Lane - will be built on land off Ivy Lodge Close.
Dr Victor Sagoo, a local GP, had told councillors that the surgery had been looking for an appropriate site for a larger premises for years.
He warned that if the multi-million pound scheme fell through then it might leave his practice, which is the last remaining in the village, with no choice but to move out of Marston Green.
Bickenhill and Marston Green Parish Council said it accepted that the current doctors was struggling to meet demand, but it was very worried about the loss of open space.
Richard Cobb, a planning expert who spoke on behalf of the organisation, calculated that around 80 per cent of the area required was green belt land.
The parish council fears that the development could pave the way for housing developers to make a grab for what remains of the green space.
The scheme, which was first unveiled last year, will bring various medical treatments under the one roof. Aside from 17 separate consulting rooms, there will also be a gym, self-service cafe and pharmacy on-site.
Although several elements were scaled back ahead of last Wednesday's decision session and a proposal to incorporate a children's nursery was axed.
More details about the development, which received unanimous backing from the committee, will be included in our next edition.