PLANS have been revealed for a new £2m surgery in Minchinhampton – which could house the town’s library in the waiting room.

Gloucestershire County Council has earmarked the library for closure unless community groups step forward and take it over.

It is one of eleven libraries in the county facing the axe due to GCC cuts, including Painswick.

The ambitious plans for the surgery, which will replace the existing one on Bell Lane that has been there for around 40 years, include providing an area for the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) to operate.

Currently, Minchinhampton residents must travel to the CAB’s office in Stroud.

Other potential new services include physiotherapy, healthy eating groups, exercise on prescription, memory preservation groups and post stroke rehabilitation.

A team of six trustees made up of GPs and patients have set up The Minchinhampton Surgery Charitable Trust to raise money.

They are aiming to raise £250,000 and the Gloucestershire PCT will finance the rest.

So far £100,000 has been raised over the past 18 months since the trust was set up.

One of the trustees is Dr Andrew Simpson who has been working at the practice since 1997.

He said: "Our vision for the new surgery is to develop a Healthy Living Centre with an emphasis on health education and disease prevention."

According to Dr Simpson, many diseases stem from unhealthy lifestyles, so the new surgery aims to support patients in making healthy choices in their lives.

"We can do so much more than just replace the old surgery," said Dr Simpson.

"Our aim is to support evidence based treatments that the NHS currently will not pay for. We also hope to move services out of Gloucester to our surgery so patients can have their NHS treatment in Minchinhampton," he said.

Trustees are working alongside the parish council to find a site for the new surgery which will be announced in April.

To donate visit: http://www.minchinhampton.org/