A GP surgery has sent a desperate letter to householders detailing the dire predicament they face, compounded by the prospect of 500 to 1,000 new homes in the planning process.

In a letter to all patients, local town and district councils, and the Bucks, Oxon and West Berkshire Integrated Care Board, the GP partners at Woodstock Surgery wrote: "The surgery has reached physical capacity.

"We have tried to raise this a number of times over a number of years."

The doctors said they are already "managing a higher number of patients than is sustainable".

READ MORE: 'Serious' plane crash under investigation

"This strain impacts the quality of care we can provide, and increases wait times for appointments," the letter said.

It added: "It has come to our attention that local housing developers are planning to submit proposals for the construction of between 500 and 1000 new homes in our area.

"The influx of residents from 500 to 1,000 new homes will likely overwhelm our already burdened practice."

The surgery said it may be forced to close its patient list, meaning it could no longer accept new patients, leaving many residents without access to local healthcare services.

The doctors said their specific demands are for funding and support for new, larger premises and "proactive planning" to ensure that the healthcare needs of an expanded population are met.

Plus, they said, contributions from housing developers can be directed towards expanding healthcare facilities.

Roger File, managing director of major local landowner Blenheim's real estate businesses, said Blenheim had identified a site for a bigger surgery on a piece of land it owns around six years ago.

He said: "They put in an application to the NHS only for them to be turned down and told there was no funding.

“The surgery had already been assessed as in need of expansion but the NHS said there was one more worthy case in the area, in Bicester I think, and they wanted the money for that.

“We have kept our eyes open and kept in touch with them. We will try to facilitate something for them if we can."

He said the letter was intended "to put a marker down to local politicians and the NHS please get full funding sorted out for proper infrastructure".

"If you build houses you’ve got to build surgeries and schools but they’re not making any funding available to do those things," Mr File added.

A new surgery could be built at Begbroke where 2,000 houses are planned (Image: Cavendish)

He suggested Blenheim "which has consent for some housing sites in the Local Plan and has promoted others" has been unfairly criticised for building too many houses.

READ MORE: Rishi Sunak defends record on health spending and Horton Hospital

"The question is over what’s happening at the big sites in Begbroke where they’ve got 2,000 houses and on the A44 where there’s consent for another 500," he said.

"There’s talk about a surgery going there. Would it take some of the strain off the Woodstock one? We don’t know that at the moment."

Mr File added: "You show me one location where local residents want new housing built.

"Wherever we have been given consent we have been required to make contributions towards primary healthcare services which we have done and will continue to do.

"We will continue to work with the local surgery to try to facilitate something because what’s good for Woodstock is good for us as well."