THE future of a GP surgery with 18,500 patients is under threat from a luxury apartment complex planned next door.

Parkstone Tower Practice, Mansfield Road, Poole, is adjacent to the Grade II-listed Parkstone Water Tower. Currently this water tower sits in the middle of the 52-space pay and display Mansfield Road car park.

Developers Nest Homes has submitted plans to convert the entire site, owned by Wessex Water, into a modern apartment complex, with the tower transformed into three apartments connected to 14 additional flats via a glazed link. However, the pay and display car park – which is leased by Borough of Poole (BOP) – will be lost if the development gets the green light. And Parkstone Tower Practice business manager Sue Wilkins argues this would have “devastating effects” on the surgery.

“We recently merged with the Madeira Practice and now we are stuck with plans for these apartments and possibly no parking,” she told the Echo. “We’ve also recently been awarded £2million from the NHS to refurbish this building.

“But now we are left with this situation where we could have a nice refurbished building but nowhere to park.

“This will not be a valid option and should this development go ahead, we will need to close the practice, displacing 18,500 patients.

“We have a large population of over 65s who need to park close by, and I’m not sure local residents are fully aware that if this car park closes patients will park in other spaces residents are using themselves.

“It will be a real problem.”

The Echo understands Wessex Water could remove the car park’s availability for public use at any time.

There is also no official planning policy requirement to retain the car park for public use. Indeed, new parking permits for Mansfield Road car park are currently not being offered, nor existing permits renewed. While the Parkstone Medical Practice does have its own staff parking area, there are no spaces for patients.

The latest residential apartment plans provide onsite parking for only residents and visitors.

In October 2013, when Wessex Water wanted to convert the tower into flats, a petition signed by 1,136 people opposing the move was handed to BOP.

Sue said: “I believe the development would have profound, detrimental and devastating effects on the Parkstone Tower Practice. Mansfield Road is already a busy and congested road and patients currently struggle to park for a GP appointment.”