Plans for a new private healthcare practice to help tackle shortfalls in provision in Bath & North East Somerset have been unveiled.
The proposed Barncare Healthcare Centre is being developed in collaboration with a group of health professionals from Bath’s Royal United Hospital and aims to become a “valuable community asset and an example of rural healthcare innovation”.
The core services will include GP access, physiotherapy and rehabilitation and mental health counselling.
There is also interest from professionals in the fields of ophthalmology, dentistry, nutrition and dermatology.
The proposed clinic at Withy Mills, near Paulton, will have three consulting rooms and be operated by Lidia Ramos and Paula Nunes, who together have more than 24 years of nursing and healthcare management experience in the NHS.
A statement with the planning application says: “Drawing on this experience, they have identified a clear and growing need for affordable private healthcare in the local area, where NHS services are experiencing significant pressure.
“The clinic is being developed in collaboration with a group of qualified healthcare professionals from Bath’s Royal United Hospital, with the aim of establishing a community-focused, independent practice offering accessible, high-quality care at affordable rates.
“A key challenge in the current healthcare landscape is that, while demand for private healthcare is increasing, many clinicians lack the financial means to establish their own independent practices.
“The proposed development addresses this by creating a flexible, low-cost operational model, allowing clinicians to provide services without the high overheads typically associated with private clinics. As the building will be privately funded and self-built, it will benefit from significantly lower running costs than conventional private healthcare facilities.”
It adds: “The clinic will operate through a digital booking system allowing patients to arrange appointments with local healthcare professionals using available consulting rooms.
“This model enables clinicians to maintain their NHS roles while offering private consultation time locally, ensuring that patients benefit from timely access to care within their community.”
A study commissioned to illustrate the shortfalls in local healthcare provision relative to local population growth is included with the planning application for the site at Barnlea on Bath Road.
It highlights that in B&NES, there are only 24 GP practices serving 193,400 residents, equating to roughly 8,058 patients per practice, which is above the national average of 7,000: “This suggests stretched primary care capacity.”
The report adds: “The 10-20% projected population growth in Paulton and Timsbury has not been matched by new healthcare facilities. The B&NES Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) acknowledges that health inequalities are exacerbated in rural areas, where access to services is limited by transport barriers.
“The lack of local GP or specialist clinics means residents face long wait times or travel burdens, particularly for non-emergency care like physiotherapy or counselling.”
Accessed from Bath Road, the site currently includes three agricultural buildings. The existing wooden cabin will be taken down to make way for the new building with some of its materials sustainably incorporated into it.
The application says the proposed centre, which will be built using Bath stone and feature gable windows, has been carefully designed to minimise visual impact. Mature trees will be retained and additional planting is proposed to support biodiversity and “soften” the building’s presence.
Parking for 10 vehicles is proposed including one space dedicated to a rural worker for the site’s existing smallholding. Provision for cycle parking is also included on site.
The application says several measures have been taken to improve visibility and overall safety at the entrance. A section of hedgerow was removed last year, with permission from the local authority, and replaced with low-lying native vegetation and flowering plants which has “significantly improved” sight lines. There are also plans to tarmac the driveway entrance.
The application acknowledges that the site is currently under-served by public bus services, with the nearest stops a 20-minute walk away. “This limited access to public transport increases reliance on private vehicles.
“However, the facility’s close proximity to Bath, Paulton and Timsbury and provision for bicycle use help to reduce this dependency.”
The proposed opening hours are 9am to 5pm on weekdays. The centre would be closed on weekends and bank holidays.
It is expected to generate approximately 70 vehicle trips daily, with peak-hour impacts of 15 to 18 trips, mitigated by an app-based booking system that staggers appointments across 30-minute slots.
The application notes: “The proposal is modest in scale, addresses a demonstrable local healthcare need, delivers significant biodiversity net gain, and has been designed to minimise landscape, highway, and residential amenity impacts.”
The planning reference is 26/00002/FUL. The deadline for comments is 3rd February.
