Frimley Park Hospital Site Sparks Local Debate

Speculation is taking place over the choice of site to replace a hospital that was built out of crumbling concrete.

Speculation is growing over the site chosen to replace Frimley Park Hospital after parts of the existing building were found to be made from crumbling reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Frimley Park serves thousands across the Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey tri-county area and is one of the nearest general hospitals for people in Bracknell, about 12 miles away. The trust was added to the government's New Hospital Programme in May 2023.

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust recently said a site had been chosen but did not reveal where. That update, and rumours the Frimley Fuel Allotments (FFA) charity might sell land for the rebuild, have fuelled local debate.

At a full meeting of Surrey Heath Borough Council members voted on two motions: one reaffirming support for a transparent, community-focused approach to the rebuild, and another calling for greater transparency and public accountability from the FFA amid the land-sale speculation.

Councillor Shaun MacDonald (Liberal Democrats, Lightwater), the council leader, said: "The new hospital is a crucial project which will affect the people of Surrey Heath and its surrounds for decades to come. "I was pleased to see support for these motions, and I call on the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust Board to honour its own criteria for site selection for the new hospital, and publish the selection criteria and the scores for all the sites considered, in the interests of transparency. "If the speculation about the chosen site being near Pine Ridge Golf Club is true, there are serious misgivings about its practicality and the knock-on effects on local people and infrastructure."

Cllr MacDonald said he will write to Wes Streeting, the Labour Health Secretary, to ensure the site fits relevant criteria and the wishes of patients, and will work closely with Al Pinkerton, the Lib Dem MP for Surrey Heath.

He has also asked the FFA Chair and Treasurer to answer questions about a possible land sale at a meeting of the council's external partnerships select committee.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter