Bradley Stoke’s GP surgery is to expand by more than 130% after plans were approved by South Gloucestershire Council – against the advice of planners.

Council officials had recommended the plans be refused as they were “not considered acceptable” and the development would be “out of keeping with the existing building”.

But councillors, at a meeting of the Development Control West committee in Thornbury, overturned the decision.

A South Gloucestershire Council spokesman said: “The application was approved in principal with a report to return to next month’s Development Control West committee to agree conditions.”

The new surgery, alongside the Brook Way Activity Centre, will now expand to two floors going from almost 500 sq ft to more than 1,100 sq ft.

The original application for the expanded surgery, which would have seen a 150% increase in size, was turned down by the council.

The decision on the original application was issued just before Christmas 2007 citing parking and concerns over the size of the building as concerns.

But during the appeal, South Gloucestershire Council appealed to the Planning Inspectorate to consider whether the surgery has a transport plan to mitigate any parking issues.

After the building work is complete the surgery parking will only drop one place to 43 spaces and will gain one disabled bay.

The plan also states there will be 12 cycle spaces.

The planning application also says there will be nine new jobs created by the expanded surgery.