A GP has confirmed he will not be purchasing a doctor’s surgery which is up for sale at auction because it is “too small”.

Residents had hoped the old Teynham Surgery along London Road was going to be repurchased by the NHS after it closed last May following the retirement of the previous GP.

The surgery was moved to its new home in Sittingbourne Memorial Hospital where patients began being cared for by Dr Lavan Nilan Sasikethan, known to patients as Dr Nilan.

However, more than a year on from the change, patients claimed the area would simply be unable to cope if the GP surgery wasn’t reinstated following outline approval of plans for 300 new homes in Frognal Lane.

Lloyd Bowen, Conservative councillor for the ward of Teynham and Lynsted, had confirmed that he, and the other Tory councillor for the area, Julien Speed, had been in discussion with Dr Nilan and the NHS over reopening the surgery.

Cllr Bowen felt it was “a gold-plated opportunity to return a GP surgery to the ward as the building is already set up as a surgery.”

But in a letter sent to the people of Teynham, Dr Nilan said the idea is simply not viable.

He explained: “I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on our permanent plans for The Medic Care Surgery in light of the recent development of the old practice site being put up for public auction soon.

“We can confirm that, although we have every intention to move back to the area, we are not planning to make an offer for the old practice site.

“We want to make sure our surgery is fit for the future and provides the best GP service possible.

“The previous building in Teynham is too small to deliver current services and certainly would not allow for our plans to expand.

“Additionally, in its current state, it is unlikely to pass CQC regulations.

“We do not believe that moving back to this old building is a clinically safe or a viable option for our patients.”

Dr Nilan says he and the NHS are working with a chartered surveyor who is experienced in medical buildings to help find the best place for another surgery.

He said: “They are helping us with this vision and have already met some development companies with whom we are in discussions. We aim to develop a practice which is future proof at least for the next 20 years or more.

“This requires some time to get things right with all the appropriate permissions.

“I want to assure you of our commitment to the area and to our patients in Teynham and surrounding villages.”

Some of the developments and work being made by Dr Nilan to ensure patients are not disadvantaged include The Medic Care Surgery becoming registered by the CQC as a new provider for GP services for patients in Teynham and surrounding areas.

He also promised that those using public transport are going to be offered appointments at times which allow easier access via trains, taxis and other modes of transport.

Dr Nilan added: “We have significantly increased our clinical team to two permanent GPs, myself and Dr Uppal, a practice nurse, clinical pharmacist, HCA, and phlebotomist.

“We have also expanded our on-site clinical services to not just include phlebotomy, but also ECG, and 24-hour blood pressure monitoring. We are also due to start on-site anticoagulation services.

“As we progress with our plans to move we will of course keep our patients informed and our PPG will help with this.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our patients for their continued support and patience.”

The former GP surgery had a guide price of £150,000 and was auctioned by Quealy & Co on Thursday for £156,000.