PLANS to build houses on the site for a potentially redeveloped Frenchay Hospital have cast doubt on the future of Thornbury Hospital’s redevelopment.

South Gloucestershire Councillors were given the surprise announcement last Wednesday during their health scrutiny meeting that North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT), which owns the land, had been in talks with developer Redrow Homes to build new homes on part of the Frenchay site.

Plans to redevelop the two hospitals have gained traction over the past few years, with the intention to install 80 new beds on each site; a mixture of NHS rehabilitation and mixed-care beds as part of the Clinical Commissioning Group’s 3Rs programme - standing for rehabilitation, reablement and recovery.

The proposals for Thornbury, which is also owned by NBT, would also see a new building replace the existing Henderson Ward, with a best case scenario of completion by 2019, according to a previous report.

It was announced in November, however, by the soon-to-be merged Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) CCGs that the existing plans for the hospital would be “terminated” with the process effectively going back to the drawing board for a full appraisal of options.

Conservatives on South Gloucestershire Council had suggested the delay could mean the NHS could look into redevelopment options for both the hospital and health centre as one package, but Lib Dem councillors were more critical of the move, which had gotten them “absolutely nowhere”.

Thornbury and South Gloucestershire Cllr Maggie Tyrell said: “We were told in November that the future requirements for health and care facilities at Frenchay and Thornbury were under review and that recommendations would be made by the spring.

“We know now that, by that time, NBT were already in talks with Redrow about developing housing across much of the Frenchay site.

“This planning application pre-judges the outcome of the review, and raises the questions as to whether the Thornbury site will also be targeted for housing development.”   

Fellow Thornbury Lib Dem Cllr Shirley Holloway said she had asked NBT representatives directly if the Thornbury site would also be turned over to developers, but despite being given reassurances that that no such plans existed, she remained concerned.

She said: “With the local NHS so strapped for cash, at least some of the Thornbury site may end up being turned over to developers.”

Andrea Young, chief executive at North Bristol NHS Trust said that plans have been outlined for health and social care accommodation at the Frenchay and Thornbury sites, but that following an assessment of what would be required, some of the land earmarked at Frenchay was “surplus”.

She added, however, that the CCG’s review of the need for community healthcare included Thornbury, and that they were “supporting them with their plans for the site”.

South Gloucestershire’ Conservative leader Cllr Matthew Riddle said: “Thornbury and Frenchay are very different sites, and we are not expecting a last-minute planning application that would throw everything up in the air at Thornbury.

“We expect to see Thornbury back on track, but we will be vigilant in challenging any more delays.”

The CCG have said they remain committed to progressing plans for new facilities on the Thornbury and Frenchay sites as soon as possible and continue to work closely with NBT and South Gloucestershire.