PATIENT care at Okehampton Medical Centre could be compromised if planning permission is not granted quickly for a portable cabin in the practice car park, according to medical staff.

The unit will provide two consultation rooms which will be used to provide a retinal screening clinic for diabetic patients.

A letter sent to West Devon Borough Council by Dr Watson said not having the building in place by the beginning of March would 'compromise patient healthcare' as nurse clinics in the main building would have to be cancelled to make space for the clinic.

Dr Timothy Watson said: 'Our practice list is continuing to grow, and we have plans in the pipeline for a new annexe to the practice which will allow us to continue to provide top quality primary care for local people well into the future.

'However, these things take time, and currently we are running out of room. The retinal clinic is an essential service we provide, and so we have to prioritise our use of the rooms we have.'

The current target date for a planning decision is March 15. The company supplying the building would then need three weeks' notice to put the unit in place, meaning it may not be available for use until early April, a month later than the building is needed.

A spokeswoman from West Devon Borough Council said: 'The time taken to reach a decision on this will depend largely on the results of the consultation. We are legally bound to stick to the 21-day consultation period.

'Following this, the results of the consultation will be passed to the local ward member, who can, if they feel it is appropriate, then delegate the decision to an officer. In that case, the decision may come about more quickly, but that very much depends on the outcome of the public consultation.'

A further letter to the borough council from the medical centre advised the building would 'not be visible to any local residents, due to screening by current vegetation' and that the loss of parking spaces 'will not have a significant impact on the parking provision for the medical centre.'