A HEALTH centre in Whaddon passed a major hurdle on Thursday after being granted outline planning permission along with 28 houses.

Officers had recommended the development plans at Matrons College Farm be turned down as the site is outside the Alderbury settlement.

But councillors at the Southern Area Planning Committee decided the benefits of affordable homes and the health centre outweighed planning policies.

First considered by the committee in January, the application was deferred by councillors requesting further details on how the health centre was to be funded.

Dr Rachel Clapton, a partner at Whiteparish Surgery, told the committee the money to run the centre would be there once it was built.

She said a GP would be at the centre from 9am to around 1pm from Monday to Friday and there would also be facilities to care for vulnerable adults.

She said: “There is massive momentum for these forms of health centres from Age UK, Alzheimers, Clinical Commissioning Group, the federation which is GPs, NHS England and Wiltshire Council, which has a responsibility for social care.

“We have letters and verbal agreements from all these bodies - they will finance us. We can’t promise more.

“My budget every year to run Whiteparish Surgery is not guaranteed.

“We have to provide the care and then we are paid - that’s how it works, I can’t be clearer than that.

“I can only say, once it’s built, the money is there because the need is there. It must be built.”

Some councillors were keen to defer the application again due to continued doubts over its financial viability.

But councillor Chris Devine said: “The NHS don’t underwrite in advance - you claim the money back later, that’s come across absolutely clear and concise from the experts.

“You’re going to have this built without having to put any money into it - how many places would give their eye teeth to get this sort of commitment from a developer like this? Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth and then leading it around the back and shooting it.”

He added: “The biggest thing for me is the 11 affordable homes which we are crying out for here. It’s wonderful, that’s the sort of commitment we need.This has got so much going for it.

“Just because they’re not coming to put a pile of bank notes on a plate in the middle of the room doesn’t mean we shouldn’t accept it. This is what life is like today. You have to make the commitment and then go to the funding.”

Ten councillors voted in favour of the application with one, Richard Britton, against. Cllr Britton said he was concerned over the deliverability of the scheme.