THE Bermuda Hospitals Board has hinted it may reconsider plans to build a new hospital within the grounds of the Botanical Gardens.

The decision, announced by Government earlier this month, sparked a wave of protest from environmental organisations, the Opposition and individuals calling for the new facility to be built on the site of the current King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

And yesterday Bermuda Hospitals Board chairman Anthony Richardson confirmed that a detailed analysis and site investigation will be carried out on both the Botanical Gardens and KEMH locations. Previously only the Botanical Gardens site was to undergo the study.

Mr. Richardson said: "We will now broaden these studies to include the current King Edward site and include the community in this process.

"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 believed that we put forward the most appropriate solution, but appreciate and accept that we must unite the entire community as we go forward.

"Recommending using a portion of the Botanical Gardens was, in our view, in the best interests of healthcare ? it will help us build a hospital faster, more cost-effectively and with lower risks to patient care and safety. We have always said, however, that it was possible to build on the same site. The downside is that it has a higher cost escalation and patient care risks, and a full healthcare service profile might not be possible within the Government cap of $500 million. We believe in our decision, but we recognise that Bermuda needs to walk through the process and be given further evidence.

"We understand that the community wants to have more detailed information on both sites. "We believe that the decision will be supported by this information. However, now the community will be able to review the evidence.

"At this point in the process we have preliminary results on the costing, impact, and strengths and weaknesses of the different sites. Our preliminary information gave us the figures for the known costs, and the strengths and weaknesses of each site. They do not take into account unknown risks, and so this aspect will now be further examined.

"Furthermore, we are undertaking an independent review of our entire Estates Master Plan, which was presented to the Bermuda community in 2005. This will be carried out by Johns Hopkins and will include a review of all preliminary cost estimates to date. We will share the findings with the Bermuda community.

"Despite the focus on the community debate, I would like to stress that the critical state of the hospital has not changed. We do not have a second hospital as back up and we cannot avoid the fact that King Edward is nearing the end of its life. The issue of cost must also remain a focus because we must ensure that the rebuilding can be appropriately financed.

"We understand and welcome the review and consultation process we are going to start and look forward to detailing our steps in much greater detail in the coming weeks. However, the importance of this project to our country means we have to progress.

"Beyond all else, we cannot falter. If our hospital is not cared for, we will not be cared for. We can not lose sight of the state of our healthcare services in Bermuda. If there is only one message we can give, it is to ask people: please help us through the consultation process. We need to progress and move forward together. BHB needs an appropriate site on which to build so we can care for patients and provide critical healthcare services to Bermuda residents and visitors."

The announcement comes after Premier Alex Scott told a public meeting that the Botanical Gardens location was not cast in stone.

"We have not put a spade in the ground. No plans have been drawn up and we will listen to the public once they have all the information before them," he said on Tuesday night.