Asda’s plans to build more than 1,500 homes at its Park Royal site could overwhelm nearby GP surgeries unless extra healthcare capacity is funded, the NHS has warned.
West and North London Integrated Care Board said there was “not sufficient existing primary healthcare capacity locally” to meet demand from the proposed development, according to documents lodged with the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation.
The supermarket giant and housebuilder Barratt London submitted plans in April to redevelop the ten-acre site in north-west London. The scheme comprises 1,510 homes, a replacement Asda superstore, other commercial and community uses, public space and car parking. The application remains under consideration.
The NHS estimates the homes would add 4,077 residents to the area and create a requirement for 349.46 sq m of additional primary-care floorspace.
It identified Park Royal Medical Centre and Cloister Road Surgery as the practices most likely to be affected, with both within a 15-minute walk of the development.
The two surgeries have weighted patient lists totalling more than 17,000 people. Park Royal Medical Centre has 90 per cent of the floorspace recommended under NHS guidance, while Cloister Road Surgery has just 62 per cent, the health body said.
Although the developer’s health assessment acknowledged that nearby surgeries were over capacity, it noted they were still accepting new patients. The NHS rejected that measure, arguing that GP-to-patient ratios and open patient lists do not show whether practices have enough clinical space to absorb demand from a major housing scheme.
The ICB has requested an index-linked Section 106 contribution of £2,154,986 to fund the fit-out of new or expanded primary-care facilities in the local area. It wants the payment made before construction begins so capacity can be delivered in time for the new residents.
Without the contribution, the NHS said the development would put “unsustainable pressure” on local primary healthcare infrastructure and fail to comply with local and London planning policy.
Asda and Barratt have positioned the project as a new town centre and sustainable community anchored by a flagship supermarket. When the partnership first unveiled the proposals, Asda head of mixed-use developments Ian Lawrence said it would deliver “a new flagship store fit for the future” while unlocking land for housing.
The existing Park Royal store is expected to remain open while the phased redevelopment is carried out.
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