IT IS likely to take a “number of weeks” until a decision is made on the Nuffield Hospital and ‘innovation quarter’ at Talbot Heath. 

A public enquiry was held by the Planning Inspectorate for the contentious application by Nuffield Health and Talbot Village Trust last month. 

Representatives from the applicants, BCP Council and residents have been battling it out and making their case for the application at daily meetings at the town hall. 

Some 7,000 residents objected to the proposals for Highmoor Farm. It was initially rejected by BCP Council’s councillors last October during a fiery four-hour debate. 

Should the authority lose the appeal, it could have “substantial costs", councillors were warned on rejecting the plans.  

But the two applicants appealed BCP Council’s non-determination of the application after the authority’s planning staff failed to complete all the documents within the statutory timeframe. 

A spokesman from the Planning Inspectorate told the Echo a decision is likely to be reached in a number of weeks” adding it’s “not easy to be more precise” as “every case is different with varying amounts of evidence to take into account”.