DRAWINGS of the planned new £10m hospital in Malmesbury with nursing home, GP surgery and sheltered housing, have been revealed.

Malmesbury Hospital Project Board chose the hospital's present site at Burton Hill as the location for the new development.

The original building will be demolished and three separate buildings put up on the 2.23-hectare plot.

The three-storey main building at the front of the site will contain a surgery for ten GPs, with ten consulting and two treatment rooms, a minor injury unit provided by the GPs, and a private pharmacy.

A day care home and care centre with a minimum of 60 beds will be built on the back of the site.

A two-storey sheltered housing development would have 18 houses offered for private sale, shared purchase or rent and would be backed up with care from the GP surgery and care home.

The private sector will fund the build and operate the care home with the Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust and GPs leasing space.

Wiltshire County Council has pledged to block book 15 beds in the care home for 25 years and the trust is expected to commission a further five or six.

A 168-space car park in the middle of scheme has also been planned.

The project board, consisting of GPs, councillors, hospital staff, interest groups and members of the trust, put in a planning application to North Wiltshire District Council on Friday.

Work is planned to begin in late 2005 for completion in autumn 2006.

Chairman Peter Williams said it was an outline application and the plans could change. "We feel it offers a major opportunity to make something that is sustainable in the long term," he said.

"It will offer an increased range of services for people in Malmesbury. This represents the best we can possibly deliver on the site."

But, with the trust proposing to slash outpatient's services and close the maternity unit, fears remain that the hospital faces virtual shutdown.

Space for outpatient services and a maternity unit has been provided, said Mr Williams, but will be scaled back if Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust decides they are not needed.

Hospital staff said the uncertainty had caused morale to plummet.

Registered nurse Dianne Vincent said: "It sounds very good but I am still worried there is not going to be enough beds for patients.

"Morale is so low because of the job situation. They have told us there will be plenty of jobs for us but it will not be in the NHS. We just do not know quite what they will do."

County councillor John Thomson threatened to resign from the project board two months ago because he was unhappy with the trust's proposals.

He said each building should be linked to make it easy for nurses.

"It seems a shame we have a care home at the back so nurses have to cross a car park to get to the sheltered housing. I feel because of that it is a poor use of the site." Mr Thomson also said there should be bus stops by the GP surgery and care home.

The new development will be run by approximately 175 staff and there are fears there is not enough parking. St Paul's Without parish councillor Caroline Pym said: "If all the staff are working at the same time there will be very few spaces for patients."

But Mr Williams said it was a significant increase on the 44 places now available. He said the number of spaces had been assessed.