A DOCTOR’S surgery in York is to undergo a major refurbishment after plans to build a new surgery on the former Terry’s site were scuppered by planners.

The Jorvik Medical Practice’s South Bank Surgery, in Bishopthorpe Road, will close for between ten and 12 weeks from early March while the £135,000 revamp is carried out.

The surgery’s 6,000 patients, who mostly live in the South Bank area, will be asked to attend the practice’s other surgery, at Woolpack House in Stonebow, during the project.

Practice manager Dana Homer said there was a good bus service which could take patients straight to Stonebow, and there was sufficient room at Woolpack House to cope with the influx of extra patients.

She said the disruption would be worth it in the long run, as the work would lead to greatly improved facilities at South Bank.

“The reception area will be built to a new and better design,” she said.

“The nurse treatment rooms will move downstairs, and all consulting rooms will be completely refurbished and have air conditioning.”

She said there would be two extra consulting rooms upstairs, and a better waiting area.

But unfortunately, because space was limited, it would not be possible to install a lift for easier access to the rooms upstairs.

Mrs Homer said that the practice had been looking for some time at the option of moving to a new building on the former Terry’s chocolate factory site.

It had therefore decided not to carry out any improvements at the existing surgery, which was “looking a bit shabby.”

However, the overall proposals to redevelop the Terry’s site were thrown out by City of York Council planners last year and this meant that there would now be lengthy delays before a new surgery could be built.

The practice had therefore decided to go ahead with the refurb, although an eventual move to a new building could not be ruled out.

She said the improvement works would be carried out by a local firm, Dream Developments Ltd.