HAMPSHIRE health bosses are delaying their public consultation over a new hospital.

Plans are being drawn up for a new hospital in or near Basingstoke. While the exact location is still being decided, MP's are campaigning against development around the M3 Junction Seven "preferred site" over concerns it could impact hospital development plans, with the new facility serving large areas of North and Mid Hampshire.

Bosses said today that "more detailed planning work" is needed before the proposals are seen by the public.

Maggie MacIsaac, chief executive of Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group, and Alex Whitfield, chief executive of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in a joint statement, said: “In discussion with national and regional NHS colleagues, we have agreed together that our plans for a new hospital will be even stronger if we can incorporate newly available national planning information and recent learnings from others around the country.

"We also want to ensure our plans are as affordable as possible and deliver the best possible value for money. We have therefore decided to do some more detailed planning work before taking our plans out to public consultation.

“We look forward to continuing to work with partners across the Hampshire health and care system as well as regionally and nationally to bring our vision for a new hospital for Hampshire and improved health services to life for local people.”

Hampshire has been included in the second wave of the Government’s Health Infrastructure Plan announced in October 2019. It has confirmed the first £3.7 billion for 40 new hospitals that will be built by 2030 as part of the Health Infrastructure Plan’s long-term programme of investment.