aDESIGN details for Newton Abbot's new hospital to be built at Jetty Marsh caused some intakes of breath at the town council's planning committee, but everyone agreed that the scheme was to be welcomed. Introducing the plans, Teignbridge Council's senior planning officer, Carol Walter, said that the primary care trust had gone for a modern design with an interesting use of materials, 'some of which might be a little strange to you to start with'. She was not wrong. Cllr David Corney-Walker said he thought the use of hardwood boards, zinc cladding and diamond-patterned zinc on the entrance facade was a 'hotch potch' which sent out the wrong signals. 'There are so many excellent things about this that I don't want to sound negative. I have reservations on where it's got hardwood which is vertical, zinc which is horizontal and zinc which is diamond-shaped. 'I wouldn't mind the different materials if there was some consistency. This is going to viewed from the main access road,' he said. 'It is quite subtle,' said Ms Walter. Earlier she explained that the design strove to get as much natural light in as possible by having a glass corridor running through the building. The way the building sits on the site would allow first-floor wards to have their own small private gardens and internal garden yards. She said the architects had tried to keep as much ugly servicing equipment off the flat roof as possible, where this would be overlooked by nearby residents. Most would be housed in a separate building but some air handling equipment would need to go on the roof. The primary care trust had met with residents, some of whom in Orleigh Avenue had concerns. Town clerk Rod Tuck told councillors that trust chief executive Pam Smith would be coming to hear councillors' views on September 6. Mayor Cllr Daphne Watts said: 'I think we should welcome it.'
