DEVELOPERS have moved to reassure residents and explain the reasons why a new private hospital near heathland should be built.

It comes as a new petition opposing the major plans on Highmoor Farm land in Poole has attracted thousands of signatures within weeks of being created.

An application for the 11,606 square metre hospital in Talbot Village on land between the town’s universities and Talbot Heath has been submitted to BCP Council by Nuffield Health and Talbot Village Trust.

The proposal is part of Talbot Village Trust’s ‘Innovation Quarter’ vision to deliver a development dedicated to the creative and digital industries.

Read more: New petition against Nuffield Hospital plan in Talbot Village

David McNair, hospital director, Nuffield Health Bournemouth said: “Further to recent media coverage surrounding the planning application for a new Nuffield Health Bournemouth Hospital, it has become clear that many local residents and interested parties have not been fully appraised of the rationale and facts behind the intention to build the proposed hospital at Highmoor Farm.

Bournemouth Echo: Looking East across proposed hospital site to Dulsie Road Looking East across proposed hospital site to Dulsie Road (Image: Liz Lean PR)

"It is vital to clarify that the proposed hospital will not be built upon the protected land of Talbot Heath. The proposed development site is at the northern end of Highmoor Farm, which is private, non-viable agricultural land with minimal biodiversity value, currently heavily grazed by beef cattle and horses.

"On the contrary, the development plans include the transformation of the half of Highmoor Farm adjacent to Talbot Heath into a Heathland Support Area. This community asset will both divert current local recreational usage away from the Heath, helping to protect it from human intervention, and improve biodiversity on the Heathland Support Area fields. A number of images being circulated in the public domain by those discussing the proposal are of this proposed Heathland Support Area, not of the planned development site.

Read more: Nuffield Health submits plans to build new Talbot Village hospital

"It is also critical to understand the reasons why Nuffield Health Bournemouth urgently requires new premises. Independent hospitals such as Nuffield Health Bournemouth play a crucial part in supporting the NHS – both by reducing demand on NHS services and providing care for NHS patients. In the last two years, Nuffield Health Bournemouth has treated over 15,000 NHS patients, and we continue to work more closely than ever with our NHS partners, meeting weekly to discuss how we can collectively respond to demand.

Bournemouth Echo: Proposed Heathland Support Area at Highmoor Farm Proposed Heathland Support Area at Highmoor Farm (Image: Liz Lean PR)

"Our area has one of the highest ageing populations in the UK, so we must plan now to ensure we are fit to respond to what will undoubtedly be a fast-increasing demand on medical services in the future.

"Our current hospital is ageing and increasingly unfit for the work we carry out with our independent and NHS patients. Simply put, we do not have the space or facilities to allow us to respond appropriately to the developing healthcare crisis. A new purpose-built hospital will enable us to increase theatre space by 100%, effectively treat many more patients, and continue to increase our already excellent quality of care.”

He said the new hospital could help Nuffield Health to dedicate “additional local resource” to specialist community programmes, which could include initiatives to help people manage conditions such as joint pain and COVID, as well as providing access to cardiac-rehab services.