MORE concerns have been raised about the future of Chase Community Hospital in Bordon, with an application for a new health hub expected in the coming months.

James Child, project lead at Whitehill and Bordon Regeneration Company, told a packed room of residents on November 7 that he hoped a planning application would be submitted next March.

“This would be a reserved matters application, so I would hope that it will be dealt with fairly speedily through the planning process,” said Mr Child.

But one attendee at the meeting said: “Why waste money on the hub when you could easily build a small surgery with five or six doctors down near Station Road and keep the hospital open? If necessary in the future you can put another storey on it.”

Mr Child said the new hub “is designed to handle more than 21,000-22,000 patients”.

He continued: “The NHS believe a new health hub will do better and more services than the town currently has and it will encourage junior doctors into the town who currently are not in the town.”

When questioned why he believed consultants would travel to the hub, if they don’t currently travel to the Chase, councillor Andrew Tree said Bordon was a “victim of georgraphy because we are in the middle of the NHS trusts and they don’t want to come as far”.

Mr Child added that they want to “deliver a modern health facility” for a town that will be “a lot bigger than it is today and the current services and facilities in the town can’t do that”.

Cllr Tree said: “I personally take the view it is an absurdity that people like the district council and regeneration company actually think it’s more viable to create a new health hub than use a much-loved hospital facility that already exists. That said, I try to be open minded and listen to what’s said, and any planning application has to go through the planning application process.”

In response to concerns, Sara Tiller, managing director of NHS South Eastern Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “We have a long-established intention to provide a hub for health and well-being within the new town centre, bringing together a range of services for the benefit of the local community in a convenient location.

“That commitment remains, and we are working with partners to establish exactly how the best possible combination of services and staff can be secured in the new centre.”

She added: “We have stated before that Chase Hospital will remain open until the new facility is up and running, and that commitment remains.”