The council approved a plan to convert The Inkerman pub on Norwich Road into extra GP clinical rooms after a proposed £7.75m 'super surgery' at the former Tooks Bakery was cancelled in October. A Conservative councillor labelled the conversion 'a complete failure', while NHS leaders and some councillors said the scheme will provide modern consultation rooms, better staff facilities and expanded access. Residents are divided — some welcome the expansion and 12 new parking spaces, others feel the community has been short-changed and worry about traffic and standards.
Pub-to-Clinic Conversion Called 'Complete Failure' as Council Approves GP Expansion Amid Community Split
The council approved a plan to convert The Inkerman pub on Norwich Road into extra GP clinical rooms after a proposed £7.75m 'super surgery' at the former Tooks Bakery was cancelled in October. A Conservative councillor labelled the conversion 'a complete failure', while NHS leaders and some councillors said the scheme will provide modern consultation rooms, better staff facilities and expanded access. Residents are divided — some welcome the expansion and 12 new parking spaces, others feel the community has been short-changed and worry about traffic and standards.
03:17 PM, 11/13/2025Health
Councillor says pub conversion falls short after planned 'super surgery' is scrapped
Ipswich Borough Council has approved plans for Cardinal Medical Practice to convert the derelict Inkerman pub on Norwich Road into additional clinical rooms — a decision that has prompted sharp disagreement among councillors and local residents.
The conversion was approved on Wednesday after an earlier proposal to build a new £7.75m surgery at the former Tooks Bakery site was cancelled in October last year on cost grounds.
Ian Fisher, leader of the Conservative group on the council, described the pub conversion as 'a complete failure' and said the location was 'not suitable', adding that residents had been promised a very different facility.
Oliver Holmes, a Liberal Democrat member of the planning committee, welcomed the Inkerman conversion but called the drawn-out Tooks Bakery saga 'a fiasco which has gone on for many years'.
Dr Ed Garratt, chief executive of the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, said he was 'really excited' about the plan, arguing it will deliver 'state-of-the-art consultation rooms', better facilities for staff and expanded access for the local community. He also noted that financial negotiations around the scheme have not yet been finalised.
Carole Jones, a Labour planning committee member and ward councillor for Westgate, said she would have preferred the Tooks Bakery development but was pleased the Inkerman building will be renovated and will provide much-needed local services.
Residents' reaction: mixed
Local responses were mixed. Ipswich resident Becky Brooker welcomed the expansion and said she had not experienced problems getting GP appointments; she also highlighted parking as a concern and noted the new surgery will provide 12 additional parking spaces. Other residents expressed scepticism: Tia Bell said patients had been 'short-changed' and questioned whether the extra rooms would meet standards, while Joanne Ovenall worried the new practice could increase traffic in the area.
Some residents said they would have accepted the larger Tooks Bakery plan because of growing demand from new housing and the need for additional local services such as schools.
What happens next: The approved conversion will create extra clinical rooms at The Inkerman. A timeline for work and final financial agreements has not yet been confirmed by the Integrated Care Board.
Follow local updates via Ipswich Borough Council and the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board for further details.