THE bus company for Basingstoke has said it is ‘vital’ it provides public transport to a proposed new hospital ‘at the outset’.

As previously reported, Basingstoke MP Maria Miller said Stagecoach is already planning extra services for a new hospital at Junction 7 of the M3, despite the location for the new build not yet officially decided.

READ MORE: Stagecoach 'planning bus service' to new hospital says MP

Dame Maria said: “Reliable transport to the new hospital for Basingstoke is really important for staff, patients and their families – it was great to meet with local transport providers and residents to discuss these transport plans.”

However, the location for the proposed new hospital has not yet officially been decided and it won’t open for another eight years until 2032, after the scheme was one of those delayed as part of the Government’s New Hospital Programme.

Asked about the extra services referred to by Dame Maria, a spokesperson for Stagecoach said: “Our Stagecoach team works hard to follow the progression of all new development applications as and when they are made but we recognise the unique significance of the selection of a site near to M3, junction 7 as the preferred option for north Hampshire’s new hospital.

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“With traffic congestion being the greatest cause of bus journey delay, it's vital we play a role to create the right conditions for public transport to offer sustainable travel at the outset and provide vital connections with healthcare services.

“As the principle bus operator in north Hampshire, our critical concern is to inform any new applicant about best practice for public transport access/design and to offer predicted costs for delivery of new services, so we will stay in close contact with the [hospital] trust and our local authority partners to feed our thoughts into a relocation plan should Junction 7 be confirmed as the chosen option”

Hampshire Together ended a consultation on its plans for a new hospital for the town on March 17, putting forward three possible options two of which would see a new hospital built at land near Junction 7 of the M3 and one in which it would be built at the current site of Basingstoke hospital in Aldermaston Road.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) has said its preferred site is land at Junction 7 of the M3.