The future of a GP surgery in Cardiff has finally been decided after months of uncertainty and fears that it was set to close. Corporation Road Surgery in Grangetown was set to be converted into houses after plans were approved by Cardiff Council in April 2022, with patients left unsure whether they would have to find a new practice.
According to documents on the council website, Dr Aly Anwar, a partner at the surgery and the sole owner of the property, had expressed his wish to retire "in the foreseeable future" and had made enquiries to see if another doctor would buy the building off him and keep the practice running. Get the latest Cardiff news and updates sent straight to your inbox for free by signing up to our newsletter.
However, as of the time when the plans were permitted, Dr Anwar had "received no interest from any party". The application to change the building's use from a medical facility to housing was regarded as a "back-up" proposal if the doctor remained unable to find a new owner.
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The plans proposed converting the two-storey terraced building, which became a surgery in 1991, back into housing, with two houses, both with private rear gardens, established. A rear dormer extension was also include in the proposals.
But after months of speculation, it has been confirmed that a new owner has been found and that the practice will no longer close or be converted into housing. Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said that the surgery had entered into a "partnership arrangement", with patients unaffected.
A spokesperson for the health board said: “The Health Board was informed towards the end of last year that Corporation Road Surgery has secured the future of the GP practice for its patients by entering into a partnership arrangement.
“Despite speculation about the future of the practice, Corporation Road Surgery continues to operate and provide general medical services to its patients from its current premises.”
The continuation of the practice will be welcome news to Grangetown residents after GP services at the nearby Saltmead Medical Centre on Clare Road ceased in February 2022. Following its closure, those who used the surgery, which had thousands of registered patients, described it as a "big blow" to the heavily populated community.
At the time, a spokesperson for the health board said: "After a great deal of thought and consideration [Saltmead Medical Centre] has taken the difficult decision to give notice to the health board to hand back their GMS contract. The health board appreciates this will cause anxiety with patients and the local community but we are working closely with other practices in the area to find a solution to maintain services for the patients of Saltmead Medical Centre.
"Our focus is to ensure services are provided closer to home and together with our stakeholders we will establish a way forward to ensure future provision of GP services to all existing patients."
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