Suggestions from Rowlands Pharmacy that a public campaign to reopen the Rodbourne Road pharmacy is nothing more than ‘noise in the local press’ has been met with fury. 

An independent pharmacist put in a bid to reopen the building as a pharmacy after the decided to close the branch and move operations to its Park Lane site. 

It followed a previous attempt to combine the two sites that was blocked by NHS England in the wake of a public campaign and petition to keep it open. In October the company went ahead and shut the branch anyway.

But, in documents seen by the Adver, Rowlands has appealed against a decision by the NHS to grant the independent permission to go ahead. And the firm has dismissed the campaign.

"It was clear to us that the level of need in the area was low; had it not been we would not be closing the pharmacy,” said the document. “We are aware of the 'noise' that there has been in the local press about our decision but we do not believe that a few vocal individuals indicate that there is either a gap or a need. Had there been then the pharmacy would have been profitable."

Councillors for the area are furious. Jim Robbins, who represents Mannington and Western, said: "It is appalling. Residents have been engaged with this process all the way through, and the way they have been treated by Rowlands is wrong.

"Residents successfully appealed the first attempt to close, whilst Rowlands side-stepped that with a merger with the Park Lane branch.

"Residents then successfully supported the new team, only for Rowlands to try to appeal to protect their business outside the area.

"I've no doubt the residents will be successful a third time, and urge Rowlands to consider their words. The residents of Rodbourne are a close-knit and very supportive community, and I'm sure Rowlands will regret their words in time."

Fellow ward councillor Kevin Small added: "The closure of the pharmacy has been a huge topic in Rodbourne, and I'm often stopped by residents locally asking for updates and saying how annoying it is that the pharmacy is closed.

"We'll do all we can to help the new team and make the case again to the NHS that a new pharmacy is needed. For Rowlands to try to discredit the legitimate views of local residents in this way is appalling."