COMMUNITY groups have been left in limbo after learning a new doctors’ surgery will not include space for them.

The former Wivenhoe Centre, in Phillip Road, Wivenhoe, is set to be converted into a surgery.

Developer Ashley House has revealed the entire building will have to be used to accommodate the surgery.

Campaigners have warned a number of the groups, including youth club the Hub, which has about 100 members, could fold if no permanent home is found.

Julie Young, county councillor for Wivenhoe, said: “This is a real blow to the youth club.

“Youth services have been decimated by Essex County Council and we’re seeing that right here in Wivenhoe.

“The county council has a moral obligation to house groups.

“We expect Essex County Council to help find a solution for the displaced youth club.”

The Wivenhoe Centre, a community centre owned by the county council, closed last July to save money. About 12 groups were left homeless.

Some found longer-term homes, such as a film club and a dance school, and the Hub has been temporarily based in the county’s Youth Bus, but that is not a long-term option.

Other groups, such as a dog training group and the Wivenhoe Shakespeare group, had expressed an interest in using the surgery space.

Michael Padmore, a spokesman for the Phillip Road User Group, said: “It is a great shame for the youth club especially, because it has so many members.

“But it does need quite specific facilities, so the youngsters can play table tennis, snooker and their games and the Phillip Road Centre was a great venue for that.

“Unfortunately, with the cutbacks, Wivenhoe is getting bigger, but our community facilities are getting fewer.” Linzi Knights, development manager with Ashley House, said the scheme needed to provide the right amount of clinical and staff accommodation, along with a small amount of space to cater for future expansion, to get NHS funding approval.

It also had to satisfy the District Valuer in terms of value for money.

Mrs Knights said: “Unfortunately, due to these constraints, the required space planned for the new surgery premises has meant we have needed to utilise the whole building for GP services.”