A COPPULL pharmacist has been told he cannot open a chemist in his village despite receiving overwhelming support from the community.

Sarju Patel, 24, who has lived in Coppull all his life, said residents in the north of the village deserved a second shop closer to their homes than the existing one in Spendmore Lane.

After his application was turned down by the Primary Care Trust (PCT) in November 2003, Mr Patel appealed to the pharmacy appeals committee of the Family Health Services Appeal Authority (FHSAA), the government body responsible for scrutinising PCT decisions.

But this week the FHSAA announced they would uphold the PCT's decision and Mr Patel has been told he cannot open his planned shop in the Longworth Avenue area.

He said he was disappointed with the decision: "I think Coppull actually has two different communities, separated by the railway line. The existing pharmacy is a long walk for elderly and disabled people and I think the people of the north side of Coppull need their own pharmacy.

"I have had overwhelming support from local people. I placed a questionnaire in a local shop and lots of people phoned me to let me know they thought it was a great idea."

At the FHSAA hearing at The Pines Hotel, Clayton-le-Woods, Mr Patel cited many reasons for another pharmacy, including a long and often unsafe route to the other local chemist and unacceptable waiting times for customers. Mr Patel, who also owns chemist shops in Blackburn and Rufford, was supported by borough councillor Ken Ball, who said that there was a definite divide in the village which was separated by the railway line.

Representatives from Scholes Chemist Ltd, which owns Cohens pharmacy in Spendmore Lane, opposed Mr Patel's appeal, claiming that most people who would use the pharmacy are registered with a GP on the south side of the village -- just yards away from Cohens. They also said that Cohens offered a delivery service and that they had received no complaints about waiting times.

Mr Patel said: "The only place I could take a further appeal to is the high court, which I cannot afford. But I'd like to thank the people of Coppull for their support."