A new mini hospital could be craned into a Somerset car park this summer — if planners give it the green light.

The modular building would bring seven new consulting rooms and a 14-seat waiting area to the grounds of Shepton Mallet Health Centre in Bucklers Way. Planning documents submitted to Somerset Council show it's being pitched as a temporary structure, staying in place for up to five years.

The scheme, submitted by P+HS Architects on behalf of Practice Plus Group, aims to boost outpatient capacity for both NHS and private patients.

Practice Plus runs the adjacent hospital, which offers orthopaedic surgery, eye treatment and general procedures. They say the new prefab will sit right opposite the main entrance, slotted into a corner of the existing car park.

And if it looks familiar, it should — the spot was previously home to a Covid swabbing station, long since dismantled.

The application explains that the new outpatient unit will be craned into place in separate sections later this summer and linked up via level access. It'll stay separate from the main building but close enough to tie in with current services.

Some disabled parking spaces will be lost in the process, but the group says they'll be replaced as part of a resurfacing programme "in the coming months".

For now, it's up to Somerset Council to decide whether Shepton's new temporary hospital gets the go-ahead.

Planning ref: 2025/0952/FUL – available at somerset.gov.uk