A bungalow on Castle Hill could be transformed into a foot clinic as part of plans to boost a struggling business.

Podiatrists Krishan and Rupali Joshi have applied for planning permission to turn the bungalow at 133 Castle Hill into a foot clinic that meets the business’ needs.

The duo currently work as specialists at the Castle Hill Chiropody & Foot Health Clinic on 1C Tilehurst Road but the business is suffering due to the lack of space at the site.

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The current site is just around the corner from the Castle Street bungalow and is shared with a dental practice.

Podiatrists are healthcare professionals who have been trained to diagnose and treat abnormal conditions of the feet and lower limbs.

Mr and Ms Joshi share the current 1C Tilehurst Road site with Castle Hill Dental Clinic and say they need a bigger site because they only have one treatment room and there has been a  significant increase in patient numbers in the last few years.

They say this has led to lengthy waiting times and capacity constraints, while Covid has further constrained operations as there is just one treatment room available and both practitioners are unable to work at the same time due to social distancing measures and patient safety.

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Additionally, the limited size of the treatment room means they have been unable to perform foot surgery in recent times.

Patient levels are currently nearly 50 per cent lower than pre pandemic and around 30 less than pre pandemic per day, which is causing a financial loss of up to £4,000 a month.