John Lewis flats will overwhelm GPs, NHS warns

Telegraph

07-07-2025

John Lewis's plans to build hundreds of new flats risk overwhelming GP surgeries, NHS officials have warned.
In a fresh setback to the retail giant's attempt to turn a former warehouse into 215 rental homes, the health service said local doctors were already too stretched to cope with an influx of new patients.
The NHS's opposition was laid out in a letter to local planning officials, which said: 'None of the GP practices in the local area would have the capacity to accommodate new patients generated from the proposed development.'
John Lewis is still awaiting planning permission for the project, which will house up to 614 people in a mixture of one, two and three-bed flats.
However, the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB), which is the NHS body responsible for running local hospital trusts, said nearby GP practices were already over capacity on patient numbers.
It comes amid a wider crunch across NHS surgeries across England, with the number of patients each GP takes care of jumping by 16.5pc since 2015.
Each full-time GP is responsible for 2,258 patients on average, according to official data.
In planning documents, the BOB ICB said it had secured a site for a new healthcare facility near to the John Lewis development.
However, it said it needed an extra £185,000 in funding to help open the site.
Discussions are ongoing between John Lewis and local officials to potentially plug this gap.
A spokesman for John Lewis said: 'Having been a committed part of the Reading community for 50 years, our priority is ensuring our proposals directly support the local community.
'As part of our discussions with Reading Council, we will agree the payment which councils normally receive from developments to fund local services and infrastructure.
'We are in ongoing discussions with Reading Borough Council about this and welcome all feedback.'
Reading Council was contacted for comment.
Police pushback
It comes just months after the John Lewis development was also hit with a pushback by police chiefs.
Thames Valley Police last year warned that the layout of the proposed new housing development put it at risk of 'graffiti, antisocial behaviour [and] inappropriate loitering'.
At the time, the partnership said any planning application of its scale would receive lots of comments, which it 'welcomed as part of an open and comprehensive consultation process'.
It added the site 'will have a 24/7 operational team led by our partners, which will maximise on-site security at all times'.
The housing project is one of three being pursued by John Lewis, with the company having previously put rental schemes at the centre of plans to diversify the business.
It has already received the green light for a 353-flat development in Bromley and a 428-home scheme in West Ealing.
However, the retailer has sought to shift its strategy in the past year by refocusing efforts back on to high street stores.
This led to bosses ditching a target to make 40pc of profits from sectors outside of retail by 2030.
This overhaul has already started to yield results, as the business reported a surge in profits during its full-year results in March.
Sales rose by 3pc to £12.8bn, which led to profits before tax increasing from £42m to £126m.
At the time, Jason Tarry, who replaced Dame Sharon White as chairman last year, said the company needed to focus on 'considerable catch-up investment in our stores and supply chain'.
The company is spending heavily on refurbishments, store openings and upgrades to technology.
It has set aside £1bn for opening new Waitrose stores and improving another 150 supermarkets over the next three years.