PATIENTS could be shut out of their GP's car park after the council 'forgot' land it sold to a developer was contracted to the surgery.

In 2012 Bracknell Forest Council sold the Binfield Nursery site to Spitfire Bespoke Homes Ltd, a development company which planned to build homes and gardens on the land.

In August Spitfire requested permission to turn part of that land, two spaces in the Binfield Surgery car park on Terrace Road North, into private gardens.

The application has caused outrage amongst patients and residents who not only feared parking close to the practice will become impossible, but believed the council accidentally sold the plots.

"The surgery had a notice of will on the land," explained practice manager Liz Kerr.

"When they sold the land at the nursery I think they forgot about the notice.

"One of the biggest things that comes up in our yearly patient survey is we need more parking. We have gone from 25 spaces to 21, for 10,900 patients."

Since August more than 20 people have written letters objecting to the application.

David Luck wrote: "It's a travesty that these vital parking spaces have been stripped from our doctors surgery."

Mary Chidwick added: "These spaces should not have been transferred to the developer - this was obviously not intended when the land was sold, otherwise they would have been included in the original application."

Alice Divall, a patient at the surgery, suggested the loss of spaces could severely hinder disabled people.

She said: "This means those with poor mobility or children have added stress when attending the surgery. A reduction in car park spaces will cause chaos especially when people are unable to park and miss appointments."

Steve Caplan, chief officer for property at Bracknell Forest Council, said the surgery's claim on the parking spaces was never formally agreed.

“The council’s sale of the Binfield Nursery site several years ago included the sale of a few parking spaces, which the council also owned," he explained.

"At the time of the sale, the nearby GP surgery was made aware of the situation and the parking spaces that could be affected. The historic use of the parking spaces by the surgery was not on any formal basis from the council.

“The surgery was also aware of the disposal and development through the planning application processes, by the developer, which included those parking spaces. The sale was conducted in an open and public manner.”