Doctors in Attleborough are furious that plans for a health village in the town have been put on hold. There are two linked surgeries in the town, which wanted to come together under one roof with other health services such as a pharmacy to serve a growing population in the area.

Doctors in Attleborough are furious that plans for a health village in the town have been put on hold.

There are two linked surgeries in the town, which wanted to come together under one roof with other health services such as a pharmacy to serve a growing population in the area.

But on Tuesday NHS Norfolk's board agreed that no decision should be made at the moment.

Graham Copsey, assistant director of estates commissioning, said the idea was “very good” but that a new surgery would have to be put out to tender because of the scale of population increase expected in the area. He said: “Over the next five to 10 years there is a projected increase of 4,000 new homes which could relate to 8-10,000 population, which really needs a tender process. That would offer additional choice for the area.”

Alistair Martin, a partner at the Station Road surgery, asked the meeting whether the proposal had been looked at properly and whether its benefits had been assessed. He said after the meeting: “We have been planning this for many years. We are struggling to provide services in the existing building and we really need to look to the future.”

The tender will have to be considered in the next five years, though there may be more information about plans for housing growth by the next board meeting in January.

Plans to bring the two Poringland surgeries under one roof have also been delayed because of uncertainty about future housing growth south of Norwich.