An extra $100 million cost of rebuilding King Edward VII Memorial Hospital at its present site rather than on part of the Botanical Gardens is not mentioned in financial figures used by Bermuda Hospitals Board and Government to reach their controversial decision to build on the National Park.

A fuller picture of the estimated cost of not only rebuilding the ageing KEMH, but also providing staff housing, a replacement for the Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute, staff housing and a trio of continuing care units across the Island has been made public by the BHB.

The release of the Estates Master Plan, which includes various financial considerations, is part of a promised full disclosure of information relating to the decision to chose the Botanical Gardens as the preferred site for a new acute care hospital.

It has been placed on the BHB?s internet website www.bermudahospitals.bm and can also be accessed at the hospital.

Based on the principal of a rebuild at the current site the report, completed last year, estimates the cost of a new acute care hospital at $505 million.

When the cost of all the elements, including the MAWI rebuild, are added together the project plan totals $721 million.

However, BHB spokeswoman Anna Lowry points out: ?Financing, escalation and risk costs are not included in this figure.?

The extra $100 million needed to build at the current site rather than on a new site in the Botanical Gardens is believed to be the result of the additional expense of specialised work to reduce the risk to patients while construction work is being done nearby.

A breakdown of costs show that building three continuing care facilities ? one in the west end, one in the east end and one in a central parish ? for elderly and long-term care patients previously looked after at KEMH will be at least $75.5 million.

And a replacement for the MAWI is slated to cost $70 million based on last year?s pricings.

The Save The Gardens website has stepped up its action to persuade Government and the BHB to reverse their July 30 decision to build a new acute care hospital on ten acres of the Botanical Gardens.

The group has posted a letter on its website at www.savethegardens.com and urged any one who wants to save the Botanical Gardens from development to copy the letter and send it to Premier Alex Scott, other Government Ministers and members of the BHB.