Skip to content

RSPCA submits plans to rebuild town's vets surgery

Andrew Turner
BBC News, Norfolk
Reporting fromGreat Yarmouth
Andrew Turner/BBC The RSPCA veterinary clinic in Great Yarmouth with its brass plaque, bearing the engraved words: "R.S.P.C.A. Great Yarmouth and District Branch Clinic; erected 1961". The picture shows a blue door, which is open, and non-readable signage which gives detail of the service, and a window protected with a grill on the outside of the property. Beyond that is a red dog poo bin, and trees, a fence and a hedgerow.Andrew Turner/BBC
The RSPCA says it hopes by rebuilding the clinic it will be able to help many more people in hardship find affordable pet care in Great Yarmouth

A charity has submitted a £1m plan to rebuild its veterinary surgery that helps pet owners on low incomes.

The East Norfolk branch of the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals (RSPCA) said the cost of living crisis means its services are under more demand.

According to documents submitted to Great Yarmouth Borough Council, it has applied to demolish the main surgery block and outbuildings, and replace them with a two-storey unit.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: "The clinic is vital to the local area and with the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis facing so many people, we hope that a new clinic will be able to offer more affordable treatments and help even more pet owners in our area."

Ingleton Wood/Great Yarmouth Borough Council An architects impression of a rebuild for the RSPCA veterinary clinic on Tar Works Road in Great Yarmouth. It is a tiled building, with cladding and windows forming a basic symmetry. A person is depicted next to the building for scale. Trees are illustrated on either side of the property.Ingleton Wood/Great Yarmouth Borough Council
The plan has been revised to reduce the overall size and shape of the building, as shown here, leading to the loss of a first-floor storage area

The clinic has been operating at Tar Works Road since the early 1950s, and has helped thousands of pets and owners on low incomes access veterinary care.

It provides limited vet care to people within the East Norfolk area who are on means tested benefits, offering check ups, vaccinations, blood tests, basic scans and other minor procedures.

It is currently open two days per week.

Where the current block is single storey with a flat roof, the new build consists of a reception room, consultations rooms and separate kennel areas for cats and dogs on the ground floor.

A staff room, kitchen and office would be located on the first floor.

The charity is hoping to find alternative premises to continue service while the site is redeveloped.

The RSPCA said the East Norfolk branch is "part of the RSPCA family" but is funded independently and relies on public support.

Andrew Turner/BBC A wooden shed with brown shiplap cladding, and a central door. A green sign is to the right of the door, and an outside light above the door. There is a gate to the right of the image with another shed roof visible beyond. To the left of the image is some fence panelling, and above and in the background are trees, some coming into leaf.Andrew Turner/BBC
The clinic began in this shed in 1951 before it was replaced by the current building which opened a decade later

A spokesperson for RSPCA East Norfolk Branch said: "Our clinic has been at Tar Works Road for over 74 years - and over the years we have helped thousands of pets whose owners have needed help with reduced cost veterinary care.

"We currently employ one vet for two days a week and when possible a locum for an additional day and we offer check-ups, vaccinations, bloods and basic scans, and other small procedures.

"However we have now outgrown the clinic and need a new building with all the latest state-of-the-art equipment which would enable us to help more pets. Our long term goal would be to also have a surgery room where we could offer small dental procedures and neutering.

"We are seeking support from the public to make this happen."

Great Yarmouth Borough Council's development control committee will make a decision later in the year.

Andrew Turner/BBC The RSPCA veterinary clinic in Great Yarmouth is a single-storey brick built block with a flat roof, made from red bricks. It has a blue door, which is open, and signage on the outside describing services and requesting donations from the public. It bears a central window, protected by steel grills, and features a red dog poo bin out the outside. To the left is the front of a Royal blue car parked nearby. Greenery from trees is visible above the building.Andrew Turner/BBC
The new facility would have more space to keep cats and dogs separate and have better facilities for staff and volunteers

Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.