Delighted health chiefs say residents are backing their prescription for a new community hospital in Brentwood.

The results of a consultation exercise has found two-thirds of people are in favour of the £15 million scheme for a state-of-the-art medical facility on the Brentwood Community Hospital site in Crescent Drive.

Billericay, Brentwood and Wickford Primary Care Trust is to forge ahead with the project and will submit an application for outline planning permission to Brentwood Borough Council in January. The new hospital could be open by 2007.

Health chiefs have yet to decide if the development will be put forward for approval as a Private Finance Initiative.

But the survey has been slammed as "laughable" by a Brentwood couple who are leading a battle to save the former Brentwood District Hospital from demolition.

Brentwood Civic Society chairman Michael O'Donoghue and his wife, Margaret, a member of Brentwood Pensioners' Forum, believe too few people responded to the consultation exercise to make the results representative.

Cherryl Carter, head of corporate affairs at the PCT, admitted some discussion workshops had been poorly attended.

The PCT received 230 written responses with a total of 67 per cent expressing strong support or support with concerns for the redevelopment scheme. Another 32 per cent were opposed.

Mrs Carter said: "Roughly two-thirds are in favour. That's a very good response."

But the O'Donoghues believe the loss of the district hospital building would be tragic.

Mr O'Donoghue said: "This is really laughable. The public consultation was a farce. We went to all the venues - at Wickford nobody else turned up. It is only a very tiny proportion of the population. There are 103,000 people on the electoral roll so only one-third of one per cent voted."

Former Brentwood Borough Council chief executive Colin Sivell is backing the bid for a new hospital.

He said: "This is our one opportunity. It is a window of opportunity to attract the funding. If we don't pull together and take it, it won't happen - others are vying for funding elsewhere."

The full consultation document is available to the public by calling Cherryl Carter on 01277 302457

Published Thursday, December 12, 2002

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