Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield last night said she had not considered resigning from Cabinet over the decision to build a replacement $500 million hospital in the heart of the Botanical Gardens.

She declined to comment on claims she opposed the controversial use of ten acres of protected land ? but had been overruled by Cabinet colleagues.

But in a carefully-worded statement she made the point of underscoring her commitment to preserving Bermuda?s open space.

?The Minister wishes the public to know that she has strongly advocated in the interests of open space preservation, and will continue to do so in the future,? it read.

She described the decision, which has provoked criticism from the Bermuda National Trust, as ?difficult? and made ?in the face of a challenging set of circumstances?.

And she stressed that her Ministry would be vetting detailed design plans as they were tabled, so as to ?minimise the overall impact on the Botanical Gardens?.

Mrs. Butterfield warned her Ministry would be ?significantly impacted? by what she said was a collective Cabinet decision on the siting of the replacement King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

Pointing to major administrative upheaval ahead, her statement added: ?The hospital plans will impact on Ministry operations since offices and other facilities connected with both the Departments of Parks and Environmental Protection are located in the gardens, either close to or within the proposed footprint of the new hospital.

?The development will also significantly impact upon one of Bermuda?s most popular events, the Annual Exhibition, once building gets underway for the new hospital.

The Minister said that in future months environment officials would be looking at options for relocating departmental offices and facilities ? as well as considering the long-term future of the exhibition. Consultation will take place.

The Minister?s statement made no reference to support for the hospital decision.

Asked by whether she had considered stepping down in protest over the issue, she replied: ?I have not considered resigning at any time over the decision.?

Shadow Environment Minister Cole Simons has claimed Minister Butterfield had been overruled by Cabinet colleagues.

Opposition Leader Wayne Furbert last night joined criticism of the Botanical Gardens proposal.

He claimed the plans showed Government had ?no real understanding of sustainable development? ? and raised concerns ?we might be heading for a repeat of the Berkeley (School) fiasco?.

Mr. Furbert said the decision ?undercuts the spirit and meaning of sustainable development for Bermuda? and said the Botanical Gardens should not be encroached upon.

And he added that the plan to landscape the current hospital site ? giving the gardens a net increase of four acres after development ? contradicted the sustainable development plan, which he said stated that once land was built on it effectively eliminated other uses.

Mr. Furbert also questioned why a $500 million project was announced without a ?clear idea? of how it would be financed.

Taxpayers needed to know how and whether it could be financed and added: ?Government needs to make sure there will be systems and procedures put in place so that there will be control of the project.?

Two possible funding options are on the agenda: either Government borrowing cash or a contractor footing the bill and leasing the building back to the Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB).

Mr. Furbert?s points were put to Government yesterday, but there was no response.

Health Minister Patrice Minors, unveiling the plans on Wednesday, admitted the decision on where to build the replacement would trigger concerns. But the healthcare of Bermudians needed attention and plumping for the gardens, not going with the public favourite of rebuilding on the present site or the Arboretum, made best sense.

It would cost more than $100 million extra and take two years longer to build on the present site, said Mrs. Minors, who added that it would also be safer to build at a new location. ?Sustainable development does not mean no development, it also means sustainable healthcare,? she said.

Mrs. Minors yesterday clarified comments made to this newspaper in February ? when she said the most likely location for the new hospital would be on its current site.

She added: ?After the BHB had completed their public meetings, it was evident that the public were in favour of building on the same site.

?In February, I was still looking at the construction being in the vicinity of where it is right now.

?However, as the BHB continued to look at the options available, I became convinced that, in the interest of healthcare and patient safety, it would be best to move the construction a little further away from the current hospital to the location that has now been selected.?

The Health Minister also gave details about how the estimated project cost of $500 million had been reached.

She said BHB has been working with design consultants, Cannon Design, and their costing consultants, BTY Group, to set preliminary estimates for construction.

?Comparing the services to be included, the number of acute care beds, and other facilities, they have estimated that the total escalated cost ? taking into account inflation and other factors ? will be in the region of $500 million.?

It was not clear last night whether this figure of $500 million included proposed revamps of the Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute and other outlying clinics, as part of a scheme to take the burden off the central hospital.

Work on the replacement hospital is likely to begin in two years. The present 40-year-old hospital will stay open until the new one is functioning, expected to be some time in 2013.