A high-profile member of a charity that hopes to raise up to $50 million towards Bermuda's new hospital has pledged to boycott fundraising if the project threatens the Botanical Gardens.

Plans announced by the Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) and the Government on August 30 would see the acute care facility take up 30 percent of the gardens with the old hospital site restored to open space.

Premier Alex Scott indicated earlier this month that the decision to build there is not set in stone, and could be changed in the face of overwhelming public opposition. In a statement yesterday, the BHB announced it would now undertake a "detailed analysis and site investigation" relating to an alternative plan to rebuild on the current King Edward VII Memorial Hospital site.

J. Christopher (Kit) Astwood, a member of the Bermuda Hospitals Charitable Trust (BHCT) which was set up to fundraise for the $500 million facility, has pledged to have nothing to do with the Botanical Gardens plan.

"I will sit by and let the others raise money, but I won't. It's destroying something valuable to our horticulture and history.

"I could not go out and fundraise. I would have a split personality. I am a great believer in Bermuda being green," he said. Mr. Astwood told The Royal Gazette that BHCT chairman Philip Butterfield had influence over the choice of location and urged him to listen to those wishing to save the gardens. He believes Mr. Butterfield committed the trust to supporting the Botanical Gardens project without canvassing opinion from himself and 33 other 'advisory committee' members. The official announcement was the first he heard of the decision.

Mr. Astwood has now written to the chairman setting out his opposition to the garden plans. He advocates building a multi-storey, land-saving hospital, either at the hospital or another site that would not mean the loss of green space.

"Mr. Butterfield would have sway over the decision.

"I urge him to go out and canvass both directors and members, and when he finds out that most of us are opposed to it, I hope he will change his position," he said.

Further details of the potential funding battle emerged yesterday when potential donor Bob Steinhoff stated he would not assist if the Botanical Gardens were affected.

Mr. Steinhoff, a former senior partner in accountancy firm KPMG, was approached by the BHCT as part of a feasibility study. "I believe having a quality hospital in Bermuda is important and I had set aside funds to support that capital campaign," he said. However, he is opposed to building in the Botanical Gardens. "This is a bad decision and needs to be challenged," he said. "The issue is strictly one of location."

Members of the 15-member BHCT board also acknowledged yesterday that public opinion did not support fundraising based on current plans. Peggy Couper said she did not object to the hospital taking up part of the Botanical Gardens, but there are better options than using the north-west section currently earmarked. She advocates utilising the old hospital site and the Springfield site for as much of the development as possible.

"I don't blame Mr. Astwood and Mr. Steinhoff one little bit. I think probably it might encourage the board and the Government to take a second look. I did say (to the BHCT) that at the moment we are not going to get support. It's essential to have the public behind the plans," she said.

Gavin Arton, who besides being a trust board member is Senior Vice President of XL Capital and president of the XL Foundation, said he did not expect to start fundraising until "a great deal of confusion" surrounding the plans had been resolved.

In particular, he wants more information about the $500 million figure set for the project and plans to return the former hospital site to green space.

"If all the questions are answered and we have decided this is the best way, I would be more than happy to proceed with fundraising," he said.

Mr. Butterfield said on television news on Monday: "Whatever judgement they (the Government and BHT) reach, we will support. Our purpose is to provide financial support and oversight for the project. I would prefer to see the debate focused on getting the job done."

In a letter to Mr. Astwood on August 31, he said: "Our goal at the BHCT is to carefully consider what we fund and how we fundraise, while respecting your interests and those of the greater community."

Of Mr. Astwood and Mr. Steinhoff's comments, Mr. Butterfield said: "Until such time as those opinions are publicly stated, the BHCT will not comment."

In a statement last night, Deputy CEO of the BHB Venetta Symonds said: "We have listened closely to the community since the announcement of the new acute hospital site. This is one of the most important projects Bermuda faces and we do not want this to be used for political or personal capital. We need a solution that will unite us. We understand the community wants to have more detailed information on both sites. As we had previously stated, our next steps were to undertake detailed analysis and site investigation on the Botanical Gardens. Following the Premier's statement at the Sustainable Development Forum on Tuesday 19 September, we will now undertake these studies for both the same site and Botanical Gardens and include the community in this process. As these next steps for both sites will be undertaken in parallel, we do not expect there to be a significant delay to the overall process."

She added: "Our next steps include more detailed analysis, surveys, consultation and research on both the KEMH and Botanical Gardens sites that will take some time to complete. Our goal is to engage the entirecommunity as we work towards providing a full report and comparative analysis of both sites."

Ms Symonds said the public would be updated on progress within eight weeks.

Health Minister Patrice Minors did not respond to questions.