Great Western Park, a 3,300-home estate is due to be finished in 2026 and was initially granted planning permission in 2008, with a surgery included. 

But there have been constant delays and Didcot and Wantage MP Olly Glover has lobbied Health Secretary Wes Streeting to secure quicker progress.

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He has urged Mr Streeting to “unblock” the new surgery at the Great Western Park estate to benefit thousands of patients.

The Integrated Care Board for Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire is still seeking a developer for the site, it has emerged.

After raising the issue in parliament in October, Mr Glover secured a commitment from the Secretary of State to “find out what’s gone wrong”.

The MP explained Great Western Park has added more than 3,000 homes to Didcot, with Valley Park under construction adding over 4,000 more.

Great Western Park in Didcot (Image: Oxford Mail)

Now that planning permission has been granted, Mr Glover has pledged to keep the pressure on health bosses to ensure any further delays with the scheme is limited.

The MP said earlier constituents from Didcot and the surrounding villages regularly contacted him about the difficulty getting a doctor’s appointment.

He added: “It is ridiculous that people in Didcot and the surrounding villages struggle to get a doctor’s appointment, while the site approved by the local council for the new GP surgery in Great Western Park remains an empty patch of land. 

 “Having had numerous discussions with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and the local planning authority, it was clear that getting the new surgery built was stuck somewhere between the ICB and NHS England.

“So, I took the matter to the Secretary of State for Health, where during a question session in the House of Commons chamber, I secured a commitment from Wes Streeting to investigate what was going wrong. 

 “The Secretary of State for Health wrote to me at the end of November confirming that the Integrated Care Board for Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire is indeed responsible for bringing forward the new GP surgery and has the power to direct capital funding for new surgeries.

Great Western Park in Didcot (Image: Oxford Mail)

“He also explains that the ICB is having to find a new developer to build the new surgery following concerns about value for money with their previous plans. 

 “I am in regular contact with the Integrated Care Board and will continue to hold them to account for progress, which I hope will be a swifter now that this matter also has Wes Streeting’s attention.” 

Didcot West county councillor Ian Snowdon said: “I will not rest until Great Western Park, and Didcot as a whole, finally gets the health centre it needs and was promised.” 

Councillor Sarah James (Image: Sarah James)

Sarah James, leader of the Green Group on Vale of White Horse District Council, said an issue with finance for the new centre was causing delay,

She added: “This is so frustrating for residents in my ward who need to register with Didcot GPs.

“The cost of borrowing to build the health centre through private investment is likely to be at least twice the cost of government borrowing directly for this infrastructure. This extra cost is borne by the public, and it is the latest block for this overdue health centre.

“I’m dismayed that while this project is stuck, the Government is announcing further private finance in the NHS and ignoring widespread public concern about opening up the NHS to private profit.”

The ICB has now confirmed that it will no longer be progressing with the developer Assura as the development partner for the GP surgery project, following a full review of costings for the project.

Reacting to the announcement, Andy Crawford, Vale of White Horse Cabinet Member for Property and Housing said: “The news of a further delay to the delivery of the health care centre is highly disappointing. 

“This situation is ultimately indicative of current government policy on private finance in health care – and the inherent weaknesses in this approach.

“I am personally not supportive of the private financing of health care facilities especially because it creates financing costs to be borne by the health sector which can be up to double that compared with capital raised direct by the government. However, this is a policy position that the government are wedded to and they have made it clear that they have no intention of changing their position.

“We are closely engaged with the ICB, and we know they are working proactively to find an alternative developer. We are helping where we can and look forward to being able to support the progress of this element of the project as soon as possible.

“We continue to progress our own work, including the transfer of the site (due in January 2026) and will review our existing decisions to ensure we proactively update these where required given the change in developer position.”