Padgate Medical Centre has applied to Warrington Borough Council for planning permission for a portable cabin to provide temporary consultation rooms.
The move has been sparked by the closure of Woolston Hub, where the surgery had a branch, following the discovery of legionella.
The council has since launched a public consultation on the future of the hub, as it says it cannot afford to pay £3million to rectify issues.
Applicant Andrea Catterall, practice manager at Padgate Medical Centre on Station Road, has applied for the cabin to provide three additional consultation rooms in the car park, which would be reconfigured as part of the scheme.
Planning documents state: “Padgate Medical Centre, until recently, had its main surgery on Station Road South in Padgate, with a branch surgery within Woolston Leisure Centre.
“Woolston Leisure Centre was closed with immediate effect following the detection of legionella bacteria within the building’s water system.
“The council subsequently confirmed that the works required to make the facility safe were extensive and costly, and that the building would remain closed for the foreseeable future while options for the future of the building were fully explored.
The surgery had a branch in Woolston Neighbourhood Hub
“Any future building works would involve a period of site closure for at least 12 months.
“The practice had already been in discussion with the integrated care board for many years about its need for additional accommodation at the Padgate surgery, and several new build designs have been prepared.
“The closure of the branch surgery at Woolston has made the situation even worse, and it has had a direct and detrimental impact on local healthcare provision.”
Padgate Medical Centre says it relied on clinical space within Woolston Hub, and it has now lost access to three clinical rooms that were ‘essential for day-to-day operations’.
“The removal of these rooms has placed the surgery under immense pressure, and it now threatens its ability to deliver its core contractual services to the community,” plans continue.
“The council has been very proactive in assisting the practice to find a temporary solution, and discussions have taken place with planning and highway officers on a proposal to install a temporary Portakabin with three clinical rooms on the Padgate site.
“Alternative locations close to the existing surgery have been considered, and it was agreed that, on balance, the best position was to position the Portakabin on the disabled parking bays and relocate them.
“Although this has meant the loss of five parking bays, it provided safe access between the surgery and the Portakabin, and avoided the loss of any mature trees and biodiversity net gain implications.”