Of the three suggested sites for building the new hospital, the majority of the public seem to favour keeping it where it is, based on opinions voiced at a public meeting last week.

Most of those gathered at Peace Lutheran Church in Paget last Wednesday were strongly against building the new hospital at either the Arboretum or the Botanical Gardens ? two of proposed sites.

Deputy chairman of the Bermuda Hospitals Board Anthony Richardson told the crowd building on the current site would be more expensive than the other options ? and is far from an ideal solution.

?It may end up, based on the public response thus far, that we do build on the existing site, but the community is going to have to understand the realities of building on the same site,? he said.

?There will be some significant challenges in doing so.

?To the point where there is likely to be a reduction in the ability of the hospital to provide the quality of care it currently provides.?

He said of all the sites across the Island that the BHB looked at, the existing site, the Botanical Gardens and the Arboretum were the three best suited to house the new hospital.

Building on the Arboretum would be least expensive, he added, with the Botanical Gardens site expected to be five percent more expensive than the Arboretum.

?The costs of using the existing hospital building will be even higher,? Mr. Richardson said.

BHB will be footing the bill.

The board has a revenue of $150 million, based on income from patients at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

BHB will probably also be asking for loans from Government and donations from the public, he added.

Canon Design architect Ron McIntyre said the Mid Atlantic Wellness Centre site has also been considered but is not preferred because it is ?less central?.

Fifteen acres of land are required to build the new hospital, Mr. McIntyre said, and there are 17 acres on the current site ? given the BHB?s recent purchase of the Springfield estate.

The Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute site is 15.3 acres.

Alternatively, he said there would be no loss of park space at the Arboretum, if it is chosen, because the embankment upon which the hospital would be built is hardly used and there are no native or ?specimen? trees located there.

There are concerns, however, that the Arboretum would be difficult for ambulances to access.

Another traffic flow survey will be required, he said, to look at the possible widening of Middle Road and South Road to allow greater access.

?For four years, it would not be the peaceful environment you are used to,? Mr. McIntyre said.

?Nothing on this Island is entirely protected,? an audience member protested. ?We?re talking about our heritage. This is a part of who we are.?

She continued to say she was very upset about the three proposed sites and did not like any of them. She said she did not want any of the Botanical Gardens to be swallowed by the new hospital.?

Even if the existing site is selected, BHB plan to ?temporarily? occupy this space for alternative parking.

?There is a choice of three that I don?t like,? she said. ?You need to look a little wider before you start narrowing it down to this level of detail.?

Another member of the audience asked what guarantee the BHB or Government could give that the contractors for the new hospital would be competent.

?If it turns into another Berkeley then this conversation is immaterial, as most of us will not be alive to see it through,? she said.