CONTROVERSIAL plans for 41 more homes at a retirement complex in Great Holland have been criticised for putting extra strain on under-pressure GP services.

Beaumont Retirement Living has been given permission by Tendring Council to build the extra homes at the Beaumont Manor site off Kirby Road.

The new homes, a mixture of apartments and houses for people aged over 55, will be built on a former gas works site in front of the existing care home.

Robert Bucke, town councillor, said: “The local growth of care and nursing homes have put increasing pressure on GP health services, such that local patients have now been sold on to a surgery in Thorpe, which is also under pressure in an extremely busy village centre.

“This development site is already unsustainable for its current use and the application for a further 41 dwellings follows several increases since the first application.”

Frinton and Walton Town Council also objected to the plans as an “overdevelopment” of the site that would put pressure on “poor” local infrastructure.

Great Holland Residents’ Association complained the development would adversely affect the Frinton Road branch surgery in Kirby Cross.

It added: “It is well known that the Thorpe, Frinton and Holland-on-Sea GP practices are all experiencing severe resource problems and have been for a number of years.

“The last thing needed is an increased population, let alone increases requiring a higher than average level of medical support.”

NHS England originally said it may object to the plans because the existing GP practice did not have capacity to accommodate the additional need created by the development.

It added there were “general resource and retention issues” in the area affecting primary healthcare services, which could not solely be addressed by means of capital investment.

But it later told Tendring Council it would not seek Section 106 contributions from the developer towards local healthcare.

The planning committee approved the plans last week after being told concerns over parking and waste storage had been addressed.

The developer had also revised how some of the plots were positioned and a bus stop was also added to the plans.

A report by the developer said the scheme will provide “high quality” residential retirement homes.