A decision on whether to build a doctor’s surgery on the site of a former mental health hospital has been pushed back.

The plans for the surgery and three homes on what was Henderson Hospital were on the agenda for Sutton Council’s planning committee on Wednesday (August 8).

Opposition leader Cllr Tim Crowley put forward the motion to defer the proposal from Assura Medical Centres Limited to the next meeting on September 5.

Cllr Crowley said a private and confidential document that was given to councillors before the meeting should have been provided in advance.

He added that he thought the panel needed advice from the council’s legal team on the plans.

Planning manager Richard Green said: “We would not normally have our legal experts at committee unless there was a particular issue.”

The plans have been recommended for approval by Sutton Council, despite more than 20 objections having been received from residents.

It was Belmont ward councillor David Hicks who called for the application to be discussed by the planning committee.

The mental health hospital, which was closed in 2008 and has since been demolished, was part of the former Belmont Hospital, which has been redeveloped for housing.