Campaigners have stepped up their fight against plans to move a doctors' surgery from the centre of King's Lynn to the outskirts.

They argue that the proposal to relocate St James' medical practice from County Court Road to a newly built site at Kilham's Way, to the north of the town, will create difficulties for many registered patients.

Opponents of the move have now written to the practice, the head of commissioning at NHS England and local councillors, to call for a rethink.

Dr Julian Litten, chairman of the St Margaret's with St James' Ward Forum, which represents the old town area of Lynn, many of whose members are patients at the practice, said: 'The distance is the main concern. If patients don't have public transport it's quite a distance to Kilhams Way. I'm thinking of young mothers with toddlers having to walk beside them.

'I'm trusting that they will rethink the proposals. The practice has told us that no firm decision has been made - but with the site already waiting for development, it surely will not be long before that decision is made.'

Concern over the move has intensified since it was learned that the Southgates surgery, which it was understood might have opened in South Lynn, won't now do so, he added.

Alexandra Kemp, independent county councillor for King's Lynn South and West, has also joined the debate.

She believes many patients would rather the move did not go-ahead, because of the long distance from the town centre to Kilham's Way.

Andrea Patman, head of commissioning for NHS England (East), said the project was still at a very early stage and no decisions had been made.

She added: 'All new developments are subject to a business case being submitted and approved by partner NHS organisations, to ensure the best outcome for our patients.

'We will also ensure that patients are engaged in discussions regarding these plans, to ensure we can continue to support the development of modern services that meet our patient needs.'

The practice says that St James' House, which was converted for medical use in the 1970s, is not fit for the purpose of delivering a first class service for the future. It is also costly to maintain, and parking is a problem for staff and patients.