South Norfolk Council has hired a developer for a £6.1m surgery in Hethersett. Its leader says building cannot start until the NHS board approves it.

A new doctors’ surgery for Hethersett has a developer and a price, but it cannot be built yet. The leader of South Norfolk Council says the project is waiting on approval from the NHS body that pays for GP services. Hethersett is about three miles north-east of Wymondham.

Councillor Daniel Elmer set this out in a letter published by the council on 17 September. He wrote to the chair of the Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board (ICB), Professor Pope. He copied in the Health Secretary and the ICB’s chief executive.

“South Norfolk Council is ready to proceed, but construction cannot begin without the necessary ICB approval,” he wrote. He said the ICB’s “pipeline review has resulted in an unwelcome delay”.

What the council has already done

The public procurement record shows how far the scheme has come.

  • Land: in July 2025 the council said it had “secured a position to acquire a serviced land parcel via s106”, meaning land handed over as part of a housing developer’s planning obligations. It also said it had “capital allocated”. That is in its market engagement notice of 30 July 2025.
  • Tender: on 2 April 2026 the council advertised for a development partner. The contract was estimated at £6.3m before VAT, £7.56m with it.
  • Award: on 7 August 2026 the contract award notice named Medcentres PLC, at £6,078,689 before VAT (£7,294,426.80 with VAT).
  • Timescale: the award notice gives a contract period from 31 August 2026 to 27 October 2029.

The work comes in two phases. The first covers design and pre-construction work, up to and including getting planning permission. The second takes the building to completion. That split is in the tender itself.

The surgery would let the Humbleyard Practice move out of its current Hethersett building into a larger one. The council’s notice says the aim is to meet “current and future demand generated by significant housing delivery and population growth in the local area”.

Timeline of the proposed Hethersett surgery. December 2022: the Humbleyard Practice says partners are scoping a new build surgery in Hethersett. 30 July 2025: South Norfolk Council opens market engagement, with land secured through a section 106 deal. 2 April 2026: tender for a development partner published, estimated at £6.3m before VAT. 7 August 2026: contract awarded to Medcentres PLC at £6,078,689 before VAT. 1 September 2026: the Humbleyard Practice has 22,679 registered patients. 17 September 2026: the council leader writes to the NHS board saying approval is needed before building starts. 27 October 2029: end of the contract period in the award notice.
Three and a half years of work, and the step it is stuck on. Graphic by Wymondham News
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How busy the practice already is

The Humbleyard Practice runs surgeries in Hethersett, Cringleford and Mulbarton. Its Hethersett branch is at 38 Great Melton Road, according to the ICB’s own listing.

In December 2022 the practice said it had “more than 21,750 patients” and was “already oversubscribed”. It said a further 1,700 to 2,000 homes were still to be built in its catchment. That is in its own update on the new surgery.

The list has kept growing. On 1 September 2026 it stood at 22,679 patients, according to NHS England’s Patients Registered at a GP Practice figures for practice code D82064.

In his letter, Cllr Elmer said the new building would add capacity across the Humbleyard area. He named neighbouring Cringleford and Mulbarton as places that would benefit.

What we do not know yet

  • What the ICB’s pipeline review is weighing. The letter mentions scrutiny and value for money, but gives no detail. We could find no published response from the ICB.
  • Where exactly the surgery would go. The council’s notices say only that it is a serviced plot secured through a section 106 agreement.
  • When it would open. No opening date has been published. The end of the contract period, October 2029, is the only date on the record.

If the ICB publishes a decision, we will report it.

What it means for you

  • If you are a Humbleyard patient, nothing changes yet. Keep using the Hethersett, Cringleford and Mulbarton surgeries as now.
  • If you live in or near Hethersett, the surgery has a developer and money set aside, but no approval to build. It also still needs planning permission.
  • If you want to comment when the plans appear, look for a planning application in Hethersett. We list new applications on our Wymondham planning page.
  • If you want to press the point yourself, the ICB is the body making the decision, not the council.

Sources