STAFF at a GP surgery in Taunton are looking forward to having more space to move in.

Planning permission for a single-storey extension to the existing staff room to the rear of French Weir Health Centre has been given conditional approval.

The development at the practice in French Weir Avenue aims to make working life less cramped and more comfortable for employees.

A planning application for the extension submitted to Somerset West and Taunton Council said the extra space was need for "the increased number of staff".

The health centre was originally built in the 1960s and has been extended several times since.

But the current staff room has not been increased in size over the years.

The application said: "The proposal is to increase the staff room to provide a sufficient and suitable space for all staff members.

"By extending the staff room, the medical practice will have a suitably sized staff room for current number of staff.

"The existing staff room is undersized and doesn’t allow enough space for the current staff number.

"The proposed extension has been designed sympathetically, with size and mass in mind whilst also providing a better proportioned space for the staff."