Asda's plans to build new 'town centre' with 1,500 flats around superstore will 'overwhelm GPs'

By MARK DUELL, DEPUTY CHIEF REPORTER (DIGITAL) Published: 10:28, 20 July 2026 | Updated: 10:51, 20 July 2026 Asda's plans to turn a London supermarket on a ten-acre plot of land into a new 'town' with 1,500 homes could overwhelm GP surgeries, the NHS has warned. The chain wants to convert its existing Park Royal site in north-west London into a new 60,000 sq ft superstore surrounded by blocks of flats up to 35 storeys high. Nearly 3,000 residents would be housed in the 'town centre' development which would also include new restaurants, shops, fitness facilities and a community hub. But the NHS has raised concerns, saying there is 'not sufficient existing primary healthcare capacity locally to address demand generated by the development'. Health officials fear local doctors would be unable to cope with such a big influx of new residents to the area and have therefore asked Asda and its developer Barratt London for £2.1million of funding to help build more 'primary care floorspace'. The claim was in a letter sent by the West and North London Integrated Care Board (ICB) to the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) on July 1. Those backing the development claim this is a routine part of the planning process and a standard response for most major housing developments in London. But it highlights concerns that NHS surgeries in the UK are more stretched than ever, with a shrinking GP workforce trying to manage a growing patient population. Nearly 3,000 residents would be housed in Asda's 'town centre' development in Park Royal The new Asda superstore would be surrounded by blocks of flats up to 35 storeys high The Park Royal development would include new restaurants, shops and a community hub Asda's existing Park Royal site in north-west London where it already has a major supermarket The average full-time GP now cares for 2,214 patients – up 276 or 14 per cent since 2015, according to the latest Royal College of General Practitioners data. Separately, the Greater London Authority has confirmed Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan will make the final decision on the application if it is approved, reported the Telegraph. Sir Sadiq has set a target of building 558,000 homes in London by 2037, with Park Royal and the wider Old Oak area a key component of this development strategy. Asda said its 'mixed-use redevelopment' of an established store site is a first for the chain. Of the 1,500 homes planned, around 500 are set to be 'affordable'. A spokesman for Asda and Barratt London told the Daily Mail: 'This is a routine part of the planning process. The NHS seeks contributions towards local healthcare provision on almost every major housing development in London. 'We're continuing to work closely with the ICB, OPDC and other statutory consultees to progress the scheme and help deliver much-needed new homes alongside a new Asda store.' Asda saw sales fall 3.6 per cent on last year - giving it a 12.1 per cent share of the market, according to the latest data from Worldpanel by Numerator last month. It comes after the UK's third largest grocer revealed in May that a continued recovery in sales over the prior three months had helped it accelerate turnaround efforts. Bosses said the improvement was linked to investment in pricing and a recovery across its systems after a botched IT upgrade last year led to 'severe disruption'.