CONCERNED residents have formed an action group to battle plans to further expand a dentists' surgery in Bromsgrove.

New Road Dental, on the corner of New Road and Wellington Road, submitted plans to build a private area for confidential telephone conversations and an IT suite on the eastern side of the site.

The bid, which would have been the surgery’s 5th extension approved in 18 years, was denied by the council’s planning committee in June over concerns the site was already ‘overdeveloped’.

The surgery has since launched an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.

Residents of the surgery’s neighbouring roads have long fought the practice's expansion, claiming the extensions have caused their streets to be overcrowded by customers’ parked cars.

They have now set up the Wellington Road Action Group (WRAG) in opposition to the appeal.

Bromsgrove Advertiser:

WRAG member Richard Hood said: “Enough is enough. The latest application is basically a resubmission of a planning application already refused by the council in 2015 and dismissed on appeal by the Planning Inspector.

"More than 50 of us from the local streets which are adversely affected have now joined forces to form the Wellington Road Action Group.

"We have galvanised through social media and plan to fight this. Concern is spreading, there is real anxiety about the traffic and parking problems, and more people are joining us.”

WRAG has submitted a joint objection to the appeal, which is pending a decision from the Planning Inspectorate.

A spokesman for New Road Dental said: “The recommendation of the head of planning and regeneration services is to approve the application. When our patients discovered it was turned down, they encouraged us to appeal the decision.

"We are always looking to improve our service to the benefit of our patients and the support from our patients has been overwhelming."