Plans for replacement to West Suffolk Hospital are submitted

The NHS trust wants to replace the current West Suffolk Hospital

Plans for a new "state of the art" hospital to replace one deemed to be in "poor condition" have been submitted.

The West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust has lodged outline plans with West Suffolk Council for a site at Hardwick Manor in Bury St Edmunds.

It is intended to replace the existing West Suffolk Hospital in the town.

The outline plans are for a new hospital to "deliver 21st century healthcare and keep this regionally important facility" in the town.

The trust's planning statement said: "The proposed new hospital is necessary due to the poor condition of the existing hospital."

It said the proposals would "deliver a nationally significant new state of the art hospital in Bury St Edmunds which will deliver 21st century healthcare and keep this regionally important facility within the community.

An "illustrative masterplan" includes therapeutic gardens and car parking facilities

The plans included the "demolition of the existing hospital buildings and construction of a new hospital of up to 100,000 square metres with associated infrastructure".

The trust said the application also included "a highly detailed assessment of how the proposed facility will impact its environment, including traffic, ecology, views and hydrology" and directed people who wished to comment to the planning portal on the council website.