A GRANT of up to £5,000 has been agreed for the joint bidders hoping to retain the Harness Block for respite care and a doctor’s training unit.
Adur District Council has made a commitment to fund a feasibility study into bringing two wards back into use as community beds.
However, Shoreham councillor Rod Hotton, one of the partners in the joint bid for the Harness Block, fears the Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust is now more likely to sell the land for housing.
“It looks like we have failed to save Southlands Harness block, despite our best efforts,” said Mr Hotton.
“It seems the Government has made cash available to them for the demolition, as long as the land is made available for building housing.
“There is a suggestion that they might build a few community beds to save people having to travel too far from their homes, but this may not be on Southlands site.”
However, Paul Hatcher, director of facilities and estates at Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “If they can demonstrate that they have public backing and public funding, then we would be happy to consider their bids first.
“They will have to have some business continuity behind it. Whatever we do will need that behind it, so there is some sense of it going forward.”
Any bids with a public health interest will be considered first but the site for disposal will be sold as one.
“It can’t be divided up, it has to be done together,” said Mr Hatcher. “It would be very difficult to declare the little bits as surplus.”
Public health bids must be made by August 31.