COUNCILLORS in South Gloucestershire Council have blasted an NHS Trust’s plan to build houses on the site of Frenchay Hospital.

The shock announcement was made during Wednesday’s meeting of the council’s health scrutiny committee, when it was revealed that North Bristol NHS Trust had been in discussion with developer Redrow Homes to build on land they consider to be “surplus” to existing plans.

The site, along with Thornbury Hospital, have been the focus of a partnered approach between the council and the trust to build new community hospitals, with NHS care beds on each site focusing on rehabilitation, reablement, and recovery - known collectively as the 3Rs.

An application has been submitted by the developer for 143 new homes.

Cllr Marian Lewis, chairman of the committee said they were “very shocked” by the announcement and the potential threat it posed to the council’s plans.

“This represents a blow to the people of South Gloucestershire, who have been patiently awaiting promised facilities,” she said.

“We are now left questioning whether the trust ever had any intentions of implementing these new health facilities, and whether this has all been a charade and a phenomenal waste of taxpayers’ money, as well as the time and effort of hundreds of people over more than a decade.

“That this has been done by the NHS in secret, without any discussion with elected officials, is a slap in the face of democracy.

“Rest assured we will hold the North Bristol Trust accountable for its actions and will remind them of the promises they have made to all of us who either need or likely will need use of these facilities in future.

“The sale of this much-needed health land to Redrow must be halted.”

Lib Dem Cllr Maggie Tyrrell added that the whole thing was “a disgrace” and that the trust had been very “underhanded” to have discussed the plans with Redrow without informing the council.

“It was only under a fair amount of pressure that they told us anything,” she said.

Labour’s lead for health, Cllr Ian Scott, said however that policies of the Conservative government are what has led to the decision.

He said: “The financial problems facing the NHS are clearly forcing local managers to look for any way they can to find money.

“This is an inevitable effect of the government’s austerity programme.

“The community and councillors need to keep pressure on the NHS to ensure that the plan for health and social care services promised for Frenchay over many years does not suffer or get scaled back as a result of this or any other deal with housing developers.”

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

She said that in anticipation of there being surplus land on the Frenchay site, an application had been submitted by Redrow housing on one part of the site, which has been lodged with the planning department.

She said 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”.