The redevelopment of Bradley Stoke’s doctors’ surgery has come a step closer after several portable buildings were removed.

The buildings had been used for the past decade to house health workers on the site in the north of the town.

But ahead of the redevelopment, which was approved by South Gloucestershire Council in 2008, the buildings were moved thanks to a huge crane on Saturday.

The area where the temporary structures were housed will form part of the expanded surgery building.

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

Nine new jobs are expected to be created by the expanded surgery but a date for work to begin has yet to be set.

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.

Planners have recommended that a proposed expansion of Bradley Stoke’s overstretched GP Surgery be turned down.

A site inspection committee visited the surgery earlier this month following a request by South Gloucestershire councillor Sarah Pomfret.

The committee were to examine the possibility of a surgery expansion which would have seen floorspace increase by more than 130%.

But planners have decided that the expansion is too big and is “not considered acceptable” and have now recommended planning permission be refused.

Even before the visit planners had already said the development would be “out of keeping with the existing building” and that the development would be “cramped”. It appears the visit did nothing to allay their fears.

The latest briefing from South Gloucestershire planners also points out no objections were received from members of the public with the exception of one letter of concern over parking.

The final hope for the plans are the Development Control West meeting of South Gloucestershire Council in Thornbury on Thursday where a final decision could be made.