Shocked health campaigners have branded the secret sale of the GP surgery in Hopeman while they continue to try and save it as “underhand”.
Fencing and signs with the words “demolition in progress” have been set up around the building in the Moray village.
Today dozens of fishing creels could be seen stacked up in the car park outside.
The development has stunned campaigners who just weeks ago vowed to continue the fight for health services in the area.
Now it has emerged the Hopeman GP surgery building has reportedly been sold by owners Moray Coast Medical Practice without ever being publicly advertised as being on the market.
Moray MP Douglas Ross has condemned the move as “sleekit”.
Community would have considered buying Hopeman GP surgery
The permanent closure of the Hopeman GP surgery, which initially shut temporarily during the Covid pandemic, was only confirmed last month.
Campaigners have been fighting to save the facility and the one in Burghead for more than a year amidst concerns about travelling to Moray Coast Medical Practice in Lossiemouth with no public transport.
Protest marches filled the streets earlier this year as locals told of five-hour roundtrips for appointments.
Liz McKnockiter, chairwoman of Burghead and Cummingston Community Council, told the Press and Journal the Save Our Surgeries campaign has heard the Hopeman surgery has been sold privately.
However, there remains confusion about whether the building will actually be demolished, despite the signs on the fencing.
Yesterday two empty trailers were seen outside the GP surgery but there was no other sign of any activity inside. It is understood the fishing creels arrived later in the evening.
Mrs McKnockiter said: “It’s horrendous the way it has all been handled. We didn’t know anything about it until the fences went up.
“We’re really shocked and angry to be treated in such a way. We’ve been having ongoing meetings about it and there was no mention of it being sold, or even of it being up for sale.
“It’s all so underhand. We were hoping to investigate a community purchase.”
‘Profits from sale should help Hopeman community’
The Hopeman doctors surgery has been in the current building after it was converted from being the local Gospel Hall in 1992.
Lifelong Hopeman resident Dennis Slater, a committee member of the Save our Surgeries campaign, said the GP surgery building was sold at a reduced price at the time.
The former local councillor has now called for some of the profits to be used to continue to support local residents.
He said: “Somebody has bought it now. That’s business and we just have to accept that, but the rug has been taken out from below us.
“My memory is the building and ground was valued at £32,000 at the time and it was sold to the medical practice for £24,000 because it was going to be used for the benefit of the community.
“We didn’t even get the opportunity to buy it ourselves, or even know it was up for sale. If we had been given that chance we might have been able to do something.
“I would hope they (the medical practice) would consider what they have done and some of the money from the sale could still help the community.”
‘Sleekit sale needs explained’
Moray MP Douglas Ross has condemned the sale of the Hopeman GP practice as “utterly outrageous”.
He has called for clarity on the future of the building to be given to the community and for the decision to be explained.
Mr Ross said: “This sleekit decision to apparently sell-off the GP surgery in Hopeman is utterly outrageous.
“I share the fury from local campaigners about suddenly seeing construction works and fencing around the village surgery.
“Local residents have been fighting tirelessly to re-open their surgery, yet they have now had the rug pulled from under them.
“This is a total slap in the face for them and is a decision that shows Moray Coast Medical Practice were clearly never interested in their campaign.
“Those campaigners should have been the first to be informed if the surgery was going to be sold off, not the last. Keeping them in the dark is simply disgraceful.”
The lease of the Burghead GP surgery does not end until December and campaigners say they will continue to press for it to be retained in some form.
A spokeswoman for the Moray Coast Medical Practice said: “We can confirm the Hopeman site has been sold and any plans for its development will be a matter for the new owner.
“The proceeds of the sale will support the continuing provision of health care for our practice population.”
The Moray villages refusing to let their GP surgeries close without a fight
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