PLANS for a new hospital near Basingstoke have been submitted – but the debate about its proposed location rumbles on.

As previously reported in The Gazette, Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) is proposing to build a huge £150million hospital off Ganderdown Copse, off the A30 near junction 7 of the M3.

If approved, the hospital is expected to treat tens of thousands of critically-ill patients each year and will be built alongside a new £18.5million cancer treatment centre.

But following the submission of a formal planning application for the scheme, Christine Rowley, one of those behind the North Waltham Action Group, has told The Gazette that she still has major concerns over the plans.

The 53-year-old said that according to a report carried out this year by health charity, The Kings Fund, there is “a lack of robust evidence demonstrating that centralisation improves outcomes” for patients and only benefits those in specialist areas such as vascular surgery.

She told The Gazette: “Why are they doing this (submitting a planning application) when no decision has been made by the people from the commissioning services? Consultation through the clinical commissioning group is supposed to come before and that just makes sense – it is common sense to anybody.

“I think my main concern is with the hospital service as it stands. Is this the best way to spend taxpayer’s money and money from the NHS when there is no guarantee that they will get planning permission and get commissioning rights to run central services?”

Mrs Rowley added: “It is not the right location and it is not central. If services are going down to the New Forest, wouldn’t they rather see collocation of new and existing services?

“Even somewhere like Tadley, you go past Basingstoke to get to North Waltham.

“If the clinical commissioning group and all the consultants and doctors said this is definitely the way forward and they are happy with the location it would make sense. I just feel they shouldn’t be pushing ahead with this until a proper decision is made.”

Mary Edwards, chief executive at HHFT, said: “It is important to remember that for the vast majority of our patients, they will continue to be seen and treated at our hospitals in Basingstoke, Winchester, Andover, just as they are now.

“Our chosen site gave us the best emergency (bluelight) access – for road and air ambulances – for our population who are spread from Eastleigh to Newbury, Andover to Hartley Wintney.

“The local clinical commissioning groups will lead the NHS public consultation. This planning application for the proposed critical treatment hospital and cancer treatment centre will enable people to have a viable site in mind when they take part in the NHS consultation.”