YEARS of searching for a village site for new doctors' surgery in Chiddingfold are over after Waverley planners gave the go-ahead for an up-to-date village surgery on Green Belt land.
Amended plans were greeted with unanimous approval by members of Waverley's southern area development control sub-commitee last week.
The proposed 5,000 sq ft surgery is to be built at the top of Ridgley Road close to the junction of Woodside Road, after a search for a suitable site which has lasted more than 10 years.
Faced with the prospect of a lack of an alternative site, local doctors had considered moving the practice outside the village if the plans failed.
"I know it is outside planning policies but this comes way above a need for any other community use and we have to be very flexible by putting the surgery on a site which will cause the least impact," said Susan Campany.
Jaquie Keen said that it was "refreshing" to see the local surgery expanding to serve its 4,500 patients. "I support it very much," she said.
And Jean Mansley agreed and said that the new doctors' surgery was part of a need "to keep rural villages alive and economically viable."
Concerns from objectors to the scheme that the remainder of the two-acre site could be used for housing were also addressed by Waverley planners at the meeting last week of the southern area development control sub-committee.
They agreed to limit the site to a doctors' surgery and no other uses.