New GP surgery could open by 2028 after site chosen

Plans to replace an ageing GP surgery have taken another big step forward after a site was identified for the relocation.

The group charged with finding a new home for Woodstock Surgery now hope to move into the Owen Mumford site in the Oxfordshire town.

Outlining their decision, the Woodstock Surgery Steering Group said it hoped to have planning permission before the end of the year - with the new surgery opening by the end of 2028.

Woodstock Surgery has been in its current building since the 1960s but its GPs say it is not sustainable due to the number of patients.

The group behind the move previously said it had been looking at three sites in Woodstock, all owned by the Blenheim Estate.

Explaining why it had selected the former Owen Mumford site, the group said it was the "most immediate scheme as it would be a refurbishment, not a new build".

It said this would also make the project "more affordable" as it would require "less initial capital outlay" than the other sites.

The group added the site was also considered as "having the adaptability to allow for expansion" to account for population growth.

Owen Mumford, which currently designs and manufactures medical devices at the site, will be moving their Woodstock operations to other bases in Chipping Norton and Witney.

The Blenheim Estate recently purchased the building, with the intent of repurposing it over the coming years.

Monday's announcement comes months after NHS funding for the development was agreed.

It is believed the current surgery is only 38% of the size it should be relative to its number of patients.

In June 2024, doctors were forced to write to patients warning that they may have to close its list because they "simply couldn't accommodate any more".

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