It could be 10 years before hospital is built as no money is assigned for development

And the town may not get a new hospital at all, despite promises made by the town’s MP.

MP Maria Miller has described the 1970s Basingstoke hospital building as “reaching the end of its useful life” and said she is pressing the government to “speed up their approvals process so that the benefit of a new hospital serving Basingstoke residents can be in place as soon as possible”.

However, funds earmarked by the government for Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (HHFT) to develop the hospital could take another decade before they are given, and may not be used to build a new one in the town.

The trust was chosen as one of 40 across the country to benefit from the government’s Health Infrastructure Plan for hospital building projects, but the funding won’t be available until 2025 to 2030.

The trust has, instead, received £5m seed funding now to allow it to “proceed to the next stage of developing their hospital plans”.

Minutes from HHFT’s board of directors meeting show that chief executive Alex Whitfield reported on the government funding, but made no mention of any plans to build a new hospital in Basingstoke.

Instead, she stated: “The funding will enable us to develop a business case for significant building projects to be delivered between 2025 and 2030.”

Mrs Miller has called for a new hospital to be built near Junction 7 of the M3, after the site was identified as the ideal location for a new Critical Treatment Hospital.

The trust’s plans to build the new £150m hospital had to be scrapped in 2017 because it was deemed “not affordable” by North Hampshire and West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Groups, which pays trusts to provide health services.

Mrs Miller believes the government funds will allow the trust to “plan for the complete replacement of all elements of the hospital”.

She added: “Basingstoke is already well advanced in its work. We already know that there is widespread support for a new hospital amongst residents as evidenced by recent consultations. A site has already been identified by the ambulance service, near Junction 7 of the M3, as being best for saving more lives and Basingstoke councillors have already given planning consent for the development of hospital facilities on that site.

“Turning the idea of a Critical Treatment Hospital in a brand-new district hospital is a once in a generation opportunity which the whole community will want to be involved in.”

HHFT said a new hospital has been promised as part of the national programme, however it doesn’t yet know how much funding it is set to receive.

It said the funds are for the trust, which also runs hospitals in Andover and Winchester, and not specifically for Basingstoke hospital.

The trust is now asking the public for its views on the project.

Ms Whitfield said: “We are looking forward to working with our staff, patients and the public to ensure that we create a healthcare infrastructure that is fit for the future.

“By working alongside our partner organisations in health and social care, our aim is to develop services that deliver the right care, in the right place, at the right time for communities across Hampshire.

“As a first step, we have created an online survey, giving people the opportunity to express their priorities for healthcare services. There are a number of possibilities under consideration and at this stage nothing has been ruled out, so we need as many people as possible to tell us what they think is most important as we set off on our journey.”

She added: “Our hospitals are much-loved and have done great service, but they were built many years ago and are now showing their age. We are delighted that central government has recognised this by awarding us Health Infrastructure funding – and look forward to a time when we can provide a more modern environment, designed for the needs of our patients and staff both today and in the future.”

To take part in the survey, which is open until 9am on March 18, visit www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ModernisingOurHospitals.