PATIENTS are frustrated over losing parking spaces at their GP surgery to a theatre.

The land at Abbey Field Medical Centre in Ypres Road, Colchester, is owned by Colchester Council.

The former garrison gym behind the surgery, now called the The Abbey Field Centre, has recently leased out to the Mercury Theatre.

The theatre uses the space for offices and a space for their Creative Learning and Talent programme.

The theatre will be using 24 allocated spaces at the surgery site until next summer.

But Marie Clarke, a patient at the surgery, says it has left very few spaces for patients.

She said: “It is causing chaos. Cars are everywhere so if you are infirm in any way and cannot park, what do you do?

“It is an accident waiting to happen.”

The Mercury Theatre has also just announced it will be opening a pop-up theatre from mid-September to the beginning of next year on Abbey Field– the large green owned by the Ministry of Defence.

Theatre bosses say the new pop-up venue will provide an increased capacity of more than 800 seats, a bar, kiosks, toilets and on-site parking.

Mrs Clarke added: “I am incensed by it, I would say three quarters of the surgery spaces are now for the theatre and the council has put poles in the middle of the spaces to block them.

“What worries me is it’s mostly elderly people at that surgery and it’s a long walk if there’s no spaces.

“I think we should do something drastic if nothing happens.”

A spokesman for Colchester Council said from the outset, as per the lease agreements, the medical centre, including staff and visitors, have only ever been allocated 23 spaces and three disabled bays, while the Mercury at the Abbey Field Centre was allocated 24 spaces and three disabled bays.

They said: “The Mercury works closely with the medical centre and allows staff and patients to use some of its own parking spaces when they are not needed by the theatre.

“The spaces now leased to the Mercury were only ever temporarily available to the medical centre, which the medical centre were fully aware of. The pop-up site will have its own parking and visitors to the will not be allowed to park at the surgery.”

Abbey Field Medical Centre has explained the situation on its website, which says: "There is limited parking available at the surgery.

"We now share our surgery car park and the blue spaces are reserved for staff/ visitors at the Mercury Theatre. Please do not park in these.

"We will soon have two spaces marked out for patients using the pharmacy to park in.

"We will also have two spaces marked out as drop off points and these are for use by public or patients who are bringing someone to the surgery and can only be parked in for five minutes."