Sustainable development experts last night slammed the decision to build a replacement hospital in the Botanical Gardens.

The Sustainable Development Round Table said it was ?deeply disturbed? by the $500 million plans ? and said they flew in the face of the sustainable development blueprint for Bermuda?s future.

A statement said: ?The proposal is clearly in conflict with the draft Sustainable Development Strategy and Implementation Plan (SDSIP) both in terms of content and process.

?The Cabinet has expressed its commitment to the SDSIP, and has in fact thrown its weight behind a series of public meetings being held in August and September to roll out the draft plan and gauge public feedback.

?Because of the serious implications of the hospital scheme, the round table, exercising its mandate as independent watchdog, is examining the proposal further.?

Further comment will be made next week, the statement added.

The decision to rebuild the hospital in the gardens has already been criticised by the Bermuda National Trust and the Opposition.