A PHARMACY business has won an appeal to open a new chemist shop in St Austell.

The plan by Banns Pharmacy to provide a new shop in the Carclaze area was initially rejected by the South West Pharmaceutical Services Regulations Committee.

The organisation said that granting permission for a new pharmacy “would not confer a significant benefit by way of access to, or choice of, pharmaceutical services..." 

However, Banns launched an appeal and a petition was organised in favour of having a new pharmacy. Now the initial decision has been reversed by the Pharmacy Appeals Committee.

Banns, which owns a number of chemist shops in Cornwall, put forward the idea of having a new pharmacy in the Carclaze area last year.

St Austell town councillors supported the idea as did Treverbyn Parish Council.

At the time, Banns director Sarbjit Singh wrote to the town council saying: “We have been made aware by the residents of St Austell repeatedly that there is a big need for more pharmacies in the town.

“Recently, one of the Boots pharmacies has closed as well, which makes the situation worse.

“We own five pharmacies, in Bugle, St Dennis, St Stephen, Roche and St Day. Patients at the moment are forced to travel to the pharmacies outside the town, to the village pharmacies, to get their medicines as the pharmacies in the town simply can’t meet the demand.

“There are always queues in the existing pharmacies due to the substantial workload caused by an increase in the number of patients and the Boots closure.

“To fill the gap and to meet the demands of a growing population, we are proposing to open a new pharmacy in the town, preferably towards the Carclaze side – there is no pharmacy on this side of St Austell – to space out from the other pharmacies in the town. People from this side of the town have always had to go to central town pharmacies or travel outside the town to obtain their medicines.

“This new pharmacy initiative would enable people to walk to the pharmacy and get their medicines, flu and covid jabs, and over-the-counter medicines, and valuable pharmacist advice.”

After hearing that Banns had won its appeal, Noah Law, MP for St Austell and Newquay, said: “I welcome the decision to give the go-ahead to a new pharmacy – a victory for common sense – when the initial decision to refuse was totally out of step with the experiences of local people. 

“The Pharmacy Appeals Committee, appointed by NHS Resolution, quashed the previous decision, stating that, given the number of pharmacy closures in the area and the cumulative impact of these closures, it seems clear just how difficult patients are now finding it to access pharmaceutical services. 

“The committee has now determined that there is not already a reasonable choice with regard to obtaining pharmaceutical services… and granting the application would confer significant benefits (in terms of) better access to pharmaceutical services. 

“The appeal was supported by St Austell Town Council and Treverbyn Parish Council.”