This week, I would like to report feedback from a meeting I organised last month between Heathcot Medical Practice Senior GP Partner Dr Navin Kumar, chief operating officer Kat Robbings, Jonathan Lord MP and Cllr Saj Hussain as part of my ongoing efforts to discuss plans to expand the 30-year-old Knaphill surgery.

It is also part of the cuts made by Woking Borough Council as the other half of The Vyne occupied by the surgery is now used by Dramatize, which took over the running of the community centre last month. Heathcot had expressed its desire to utilise the space to the council and NHS England.

If the plans were to go ahead, it would create six clinical consulting rooms with the potential for an additional 7,000 appointments per year. The space would also allow for a large minor surgical suite for the practice, extra administrative space and larger waiting room facilities.

At the meeting, we discussed the enforcement of a rule by NHS England that “new” clinical rooms are 16m square, which hit the surgery's need for additional space to offer more appointments and improve services locally by employing extra GPs and other healthcare professionals. The rooms Heathcot seeks to acquire in the existing space are 13m square.

However, as they already occupy half of the building, they feel it is not a “new” space and it is a shame not to utilise it to provide wider community healthcare service. Heathcot has also been told to fund the renovation themselves and wondered if the government could fund this, if NHS England would be flexible with its rules, or if the council could reduce the rent for a few years to help offset costs.

Dr Navin Kumar said: “Over the last couple of years the practice has had a major overhaul and now, with new GP Partners and new managers in place, we're working hard to improve the services we provide and the facilities we work in for our patients.

“If we were successful in securing the additional space at The Vyne, we would be better equipped to provide the high standard of healthcare we strive for to our ever-growing community.

"We are incredibly grateful to Councillors Hassan and Saj, and Mr Lord, for supporting this project, and hope that together with Woking Borough Council and NHS England we can successfully expand healthcare services for our local residents."

I welcome the above proposal because such initiatives will not only prevent the mothballing or fire sale of valuable community assets but help provide much-needed medical, welfare and social facilities. The increased footfall will make The Vyne a vibrant daily hub with its ample parking and bus stop on its doorstep, which will benefit the local economy.

I hope whoever gets elected as MP for Woking on 4 July will do their utmost to support the plans to expand Knaphill surgery to benefit residents.

Good luck to all the candidates.