CRIES of “incompetence” and “unbelievable” erupted from scores of supporters after district councillors voted to deny planning permission for a new doctors’ surgery in Stow.

Cotswold District Council’s planning committee voted against giving planning permission to the site on the Stow Fair field in Maugersbury Road but voted to approve a separate planning permission for a surgery at a site in Tall Trees, Oddington Road.

Around 50 supporters stormed out of council chambers at the meeting today as 10 councillors voted to refuse the application and five voted in favour.

Objecting councillors noted that the health care centre was fit for purpose but felt they were being “held to ransom” by having to allow five large houses to be built as part of the application.

The main objections raised were that the site was in an obvious location in an Area of Natural Outstanding Beauty and would spoil the character of the area.

However, Queen’s Counsel Harry Wolton, talking on behalf of the doctors who would be moving to the surgery, argued that allowing the application would prevent any further development on the land.

Maugersbury resident Archie Thomas was among the furious residents who left the hall.

“The people on this planning committee do not understand local issues. We desperately need a doctors’ surgery and this was the only viable option,” he said after the meeting.

“It will be many years now before we get a surgery now. To this committee, localism means nothing.”

Twenty local people had arranged to take over the land from the current owner in order to build the surgery.

Speaking at a previous meeting, Dr Tim Healey said the current surgery in Well Lane was overcrowded and not fit for purpose.

"It has no space to carry out many operations. Even flu vaccinations have to be given in Tesco car park," he said.

The application had received the backing of the parish councils, Stow district councillor Barry Dare and the doctors from the current Stow surgery.

It received 108 letters of support and 34 letters of objection and was the recipient of a supporting petition with more than 1,000 signatures.

The surgery was called a “primary health care centre” on the applicationwhich means it could be used for other healthcare purposes, such as dentistry.

Cllr Dare argued during the meeting: “I believe we are elected to represent the people in our wards and we can see from the people here today what their wish is.”

The applicant for the surgery JRN Property Ltd & The Partners Of The Surgery.

A similar application was denied before but the applicant had agreed to reduce the size of the surgery by 30 per cent.

The application for a doctors’ surgery on Tall Trees was passed with 14 councillors voting in favour and one abstaining, it had received letters of support and 13 objections.

The one and two storey building would provide 725 square metres of floors space and would made of Cotswold stone - further details of the application, such as its appearance, will be outlined in a future application.