A PLANNING application for the development of a new Minehead Community Hospital will be submitted later this month, it has been revealed.

In a report to Somerset County Council's health scrutiny committee on the development of community hospitals in Somerset, it was stated an outline planning application would be submitted this September.

Under the current proposals the initial infrastructure work should commence in early 2008 and work is set to start on the main hospital building later that year, set for completion in 2009.

The construction of the new facility is part of Somerset Primary Care Trust's major investment programme for health services in Somerset.

The new community hospital will be developed as part of the New Horizons project in Minehead incorporating new health, leisure and education facilities on a single campus.

A site master plan has been developed and is currently subject to final agreement between partners. This will see the community hospital located on the existing college all-weather sports pitch, which will be relocated elsewhere on campus.

The Primary Care Trust has been successful in securing £24million in national capital funding for the development, which will provide 20 inpatient beds, outpatient facilities, day surgery, rehabilitation therapy service, a minor injury unit with patient support centre and digital imaging X-ray.

The existing Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust day hospital and community mental health teams from elsewhere in the town will be relocated to the new hospital. Minehead Ambulance Station will also be moved to the New Horizons site.

The Somerset Primary Care Trust approved the outline business case for the development in March 2007 and was accepted by NHS South West in May 2007.

A spokesman for Somerset PCT said The New Horizons Steering Group was due to finalise the application on September 24, with a formal planning application set to be submitted to West Somerset Council by the end of the month.

The scrutiny committee is meeting to discuss the proposals on Monday.