FUTURE development of the soon to be sold off High Royds Hospital is to be guarded by a special campaign group.

The newly formed Aireborough and Wharfedale Community Planning Forum aims to prepare a vision for the 195-acre site in Menston which it will present to owners the regional NHS executive, to the planning authority, Leeds City Council and to any potential developer.

And the vision, which will expand on the city council's planning brief for the hospital site, will seek to include provision for a new community hospital - if the health trust's preferred site for a new hospital at Garnett's mill in Otley falls through.

More than 50 people packed Guiseley Baptist Church Hall last week to hear Graham Hoult, newly appointed locality development officer with the Leeds North West Primary Care Group (PCG), talk about the future of the site once the psychiatric hospital closes in summer 2002.

After the meeting Mr Hoult said the majority of people at the meeting were concerned that part of the site be saved for a new hospital if plans to build in Otley were scrapped while others wanted to make sure any development should be acceptable to the community.

Mr Hoult, the group's acting chairman, said: "We will work up a vision for the development of the site which we will present to the district and regional health trusts and to any developer once they are known.

"The vision will include a community hospital if the health trust's preferred option in Otley does not go through."

Mr Hoult, who is also the chairman of Guiseley and Menston Greenbelt Action Group (GAMBAG) added the vision would build on the planning brief - due to be published in the next couple of weeks by Leeds City Council.

"We will build on that but give it a local flavour, it will be a discussion document for tenderers for the site," added Mr Hoult.

Graham Latty, who has campaigned for an Aireborough Parish Council, said forming a vision for the site was a step in the right direction.

"A plan for Aireborough would be acceptable to everyone and if something good comes out of it then that is fine, but at the end of the day it needs to be translated into facts.

"At the moment it is Leeds City Council's plans west panel who are coming up with ideas, there needs to be local input."

He added his particular concern was the amount of additional traffic and pressure put on local services such as schools if more than 40 homes were put on the site.

l A spokesman for the Northern and Yorkshire NHS Executive in Durham said the hospital should be put on the open market in the next couple of months. The last patients are due to leave by summer 2002.

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