THE application for the change of use of Unit 12, on the Holsworthy Industrial Estate, from offices to an outpatient haemodialysis treatment centre have been permitted by Torridge District Council, writes Zoë Uglow.

The application was submitted online to the councils planning site on Wednesday, February 3 and the application was approved on Friday, April 8.

Concerns have previously been raised over the placement of the haemodialysis unit, with some suggesting it would be better sited in the Holsworthy Hospital.

Although suggestions for a similar unit to be placed in the hospital have been made, the conversion of Unit 12, on the Industrial Estate, is still to go ahead.

The latest neighbour consultation was held on Monday, February 15 in which eleven members of the public attended.

The unit previously contained office spaces and now Renal Services UK Ltd, who applied for the planning application to re-use this space, will look towards converting the currently vacant building, which has remained empty for the last 12 months.

The plans submitted to Torridge’s planning website show the converted unit will consist of three individual haemodialysis stations which patients will be placed in during treatment.

There are WC facilities for patient and visitor use and an ambulant WC adjoining an isolation room.

The town council had previously stated that: “The committee are concerned that there will be insufficient parking spaces.”

The site currently has three associated parking spaces.

A Devon County Council Highways spokesperson said: “The proposal does not provide evidence for the level of parking that will be required, but only states that the three existing spaces will be adequate.

“I think that this would not be the case when considering the rural nature of the 30 minute travel time catchment area, lack of public transport, high car ownership levels and out of town location on an industrial estate.”

It was concluded, in the final committee report, that: “The proposal involves no changes to the access roads or parking layout. In so far as parking provision, noting the concerns of Holsworthy Town Council and Devon County Council Highways, further clarification has been sought.”