A NEW style of health business is coming to Huddersfield.

Councillors yesterday gave planning permission for the town’s first Internet-based pharmacy, despite objections from local residents.

Chemist Shohaib Ali will operate the business from a house on Cobcroft Road in Fartown.

He explained the business proposal to Kirklees Council’s Huddersfield Planning Sub-committee yesterday.

Mr Ali said: “Within the locality there is a high percentage of elderly people who struggle to get their prescriptions.

“There are also people who are house-bound and mothers with young children.

“They will be able to phone, fax or email a request for a prescription which we will then deliver to them.

“This is a new service which has been recommended by the Department of Health.”

Medicine would be delivered to the business twice a day around 10am and 2pm and a mini-van would be dispatched to deliver prescriptions at 1pm each day.

But Mr Ali told councillors that patients would not be allowed to collect their medicine from the house.

He said: “Customers would not be permitted to visit the site.”

Clr Jean Calvert told the sub-committee she feared the new business would add to the “atrocious” parking situation around nearby Spaines Road Surgery.

The Ashbrow Labour woman said: “I’m concerned that the highways issues will be quite severe.”

But Mr Ali disagreed. “This business will reduce traffic at Spaines Road because 80% of prescriptions issued at that surgery are repeat prescriptions,” he said.

Clr Nicola Turner said she didn’t believe the new business would cause many parking problems.

The Colne Valley Lib Dem said: “This is a suitable site for an Internet business which would generate three vehicle movements a day.

“I can’t see that it would be a huge problem.”

The sub-committee voted unanimously to allow Mr Ali to set up the business for a 12-month trial period.

Forty-three residents had signed a petition against the proposed new pharmacy.

Their objections included:

The proposal would create parking problems and make the road more dangerous for pedestrians

There is no demand for the service

The proposal would disturb residents.

However, none of the objectors attended yesterday afternoon’s sub-committee meeting at Huddersfield Town Hall.