STRUGGLING health services will crumble when thousands of homes are built around Newton Abbot, it has been revealed.

NHS chiefs are warning that their already ‘over-burdened’ hospitals will not be able to cope with 1,275 new properties to be built on 165 acres of land at Wolborough.

They’ve fired off the stark consequences to planners at Teignbridge Council, urging them to throw out the major scheme.

Developers want to build a new school, care homes and employment units together with the extra homes on land extending from St Mary’s Church to neighbouring Abbotskerswell.

However, hospitals are already running at ‘full capacity’ – and health bosses fear patients will receive poor care if the service-stretching housing development goes ahead.

The NHS has insisted it would only be able to cope with the population explosion if it was given a £1m cash boost from developers.

But Teignbridge Council leader Jeremy Christophers hit back by insisting the NHS move was just a way of trying to make money. Its objections would not stop any development.

The trust is pushing for a £1,127,918 hand-out to ‘provide additional health care services to meet patient demands’.

Cllr Christophers observed: ‘To be honest they are just trying it on to get a million quid from us.’

But political adversary Gordon Hook called for brakes to be put on the development so the grave concerns could be addressed.

Lib Dem leader Cllr Hook believed the town would suffer greatly unless district planners challenged the housing proposals.

A damning report – written by the Torbay and South Devon NHS Trust – revealed the proposed estate would put ‘too much strain’ on services and leave poorly residents at ‘significant risk.’

Cllr Christophers was adamant the heath group’s strong warning wasn’t a ‘road block’ and wouldn’t stop any development.

Health chiefs allege ‘substandard care, resulting in poorer health outcomes and pro-longed health problems’ would be the result if the plan was accepted.

‘Such an outcome is not suitable,’ they insist.

Their report added: ‘This development imposes an additional demand on the existing over-burdened healthcare services.’

Fears that current ‘unsatisfactory’ bed-occupancy levels would worsen as more houses went up have predicted.

Vital services would be ‘compromised’ and residents’ health would be put at risk unless the major cash boost was forthcoming.

The report explained: ‘The only way the trust can maintain service delivery without delay and comply with NHS quality requirements is that the developer contributes towards the cost of providing necessary capacity for the trust to maintain service delivery.’

Cllr Hook said: ‘The NHS statement is dynamite and confirms what I have been saying for a long time, as have others, that the infrastructure to support the excessive proposed development of Newton Abbot is simply not in place and the whole of the town will suffer as a direct consequence if these plans go through unchallenged and unaddressed.’

He added: ‘The health service is thankfully saying “we just cannot cope” and exactly the same applied to so much else.

‘Both developers and planners must face up to that. I say, if you can’t guarantee suitable infrastructure then stop it now.’

Cllr Hook said Newton Abbot deserved the best. ‘Currently this is all a long, long way away from remotely satisfactory,’ he suggested.

A Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust spokesman, said: ‘We have been consulting with Teignbridge Council regarding the planning application for 1,200 new homes in the Newton Abbot area.

‘As with any planning application for a larger development, it is normal practice for consideration to be given under the Section 106 Agreement to the potential impact on the local infrastructure and the local community which can include things such as highways, education, local amenities as well as health care provision. 

‘The trust has responded to the planning application for consideration by the local planning authority – this is to ensure that the trust is able to properly support any new residents in a sustainable way.

‘Our main priority is the quality of care provided to our community and provisions should be made to ensure that the service can keep up with increasing patient numbers.

‘Submitting a Section 106 application for consideration is widely used by trusts across the UK and is to ensure that NHS provisions can cater for increased patient numbers, particularly when new developments are proposed.

‘The creation and maintenance of healthy communities is an essential component of sustainable development, as stated in the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework and the trust’s actions are to ensure that this remains the case.’