PLANS to extend one of East Lothian’s biggest medical practices will almost double its floor space and could see a second floor added to a new extension.

The business plan for the £2.5 million extension reveals proposals to refurbish Harbours Medical Practice in Cockenzie and build an extension.

And it says while the preferred option of health bosses at the moment is a single-storey extension, it would be no more expensive to make it a two-storey extension, which may be considered as the design is progressed.

The new extension will add 428 square metres of additional floor space to its current space of just over 510 square metres.

It will allow the practice to expand its services to include psychiatric and health and wellbeing services on-site. It will prepare the centre for new patients who are expected to arrive from the planned new town nearby at Blindwells.

The business case says: “The practice will support patients from the proposed Blindwells development from the outset. It is anticipated that when patients within the proposed Blindwells development reach around the 1,500 mark, a local service should be supported.”

The practice has seen a rise in the number of patients of more than three per cent since 2005, with the population of the Preston Seton Gosford ward expected to rise by almost three per cent in the coming decade.

Setting out the case for expanding the practice, the plan states the building was built in the 1970s and rooms have to be shared between the GPs and other staff, restricting the services which can be provided.

It said: “There are seven consulting rooms, one treatment room and one interview/treatment room clinic.

“These are currently shared by nine GPs, one GP registrar, three practice nurses, one healthcare assistant, one midwife and one practice manager, who are supported by 10 members of non-clinical staff.

“Due to lack of space within the current building, temporary accommodation was required and is sited next to the current building, which provides office space for community staff.

“The clinical rooms are shared with a range of community services. This has meant services have had to reduce at times because of the unavailability of space. A lack of rooms restricts the capacity to provide adequate clinical appointments.”

It is hoped the extension will allow the centre to expand its training programme, which has, because of a lack of accommodation, been declined any additional student placements.