Shifnal medical practice plans approved by councillors

Plans for a new medical practice in a town have been approved.

Health bosses said a larger surgery was needed in Shifnal, Shropshire, to replace its existing practice due to the town's growing population.

It was given the green light by planning officers from Shropshire Council.

Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) previously said it hoped work would start on-site before Christmas.

The project has been backed by the town's Shropshire councillors, town council, campaign groups and Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A report by planning officer Richard Fortune says there will be "substantial public benefits" from the scheme, to be built on the junction of Haughton Road and Newport Road, which will address "long-recognised inadequacies" in the town's current health provision.

The report added the surgery would employ 22 full-time equivalent staff, including nine doctors, and will serve about 10,700 registered patients - a figure that is expected to rise by up to 7,000 over the next decade.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]