BUILDING work is about to commence on Newton Abbot's new £25 million plus hospital in Jetty Marsh, but one resident believes that the signs are already there that it is the wrong site. Robert Bates, a 45-year-old recruitment consultant, of Orleigh Avenue, said while from a purely selfish point of view he will be delighted to have a hospital near his home, he fears the worst for the future. 'Underneath the site old mineshafts and tunnels from clay mining criss-cross the site and to make matters worse it is a flood plain. 'There are constant pools of water there. I find it extremely worrying that a hospital is going to be built there,' said Mr Bates who almost fell down a mineshaft several years ago when one of his dogs ran onto the site. 'We were told when we moved here that the land was only to be used for light industry,' he said. Mr Bates maintained there were already signs of the problems ahead at Jetty Marsh with the pavement sinking and cracking up and he believes that is only the tip of the iceberg. He has walked his dogs in the area for the past seven years and in that time has noticed how the river levels have risen and that the river is constantly bursting its banks. 'With the building of the hospital the water table will be affected and that will push the water through. It has not been properly thought out. 'These are the people who were going to build the hospital on a cricket ground. That is the mentality of them. The cricket ground is the one bit of greenery we have got in the town and they were going to slap a hospital on it,' he stated. And he believes that while the present hospital in East Street is old and looking a bit tired, internally it was fine and the staff were fantastic. 'Financially, in my humble opinion the new hospital is a waste of taxpayers money. With the NHS strapped for cash they have to splash out £25 million on a hospital which is not necessary. 'The minor injuries unit seems to be basically office hours only and the X-ray department closes at 4.30pm. The stroke unit is one of the best in the country, but they have not stated categorically that it will remain open in the new hospital. 'What is the point of making the NHS go more into the red for basically cosmetic reasons? 'They are saying they have to have new measures for disabled access. All businesses have to do that and you do not have to pull down a hospital because you have to widen the access for wheelchair use. 'Unfortunately, I think they could have terrible problems with the new hospital in years to come,' said Mr Bates. The chairman of Devon Primary Care Trust professional executive committee, Dr Nick D'Arcy, said the previous owners had raised the level of the site over a number of years. 'We have taken detailed professional advice and both the trust and planning authorities are fully satisfied that any flood risk has been minimised,' he said.
