The site for the new £200m Dumfries general hospital has been announced by NHS Dumfries and Galloway.

The new acute hospital will be at Garroch, close to the Garroch roundabout at the western end of the A75 Dumfries bypass.

The site was selected following a period of formal consultation will the public, leading to 55% of responses favouring Garroch. The site at Summerfield came second, with 35%.

Nominations for the new site were scored according to various criteria, including environmental impact, ambience and accessibility by the Board, clinical staff and members of the public.

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The Board must now submit a Proposal of Application Notice to the Planning Department, before a 12 week consultation will begin.

Final decisions on the proposal will rest with the Scottish Government and Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Julie White, Chief Operating Officer welcomed the news, explaining: We believe that this site will provide much better access to our acute hospital for patients across Dumfries and Galloway.

“Having studied the responses and considered all of the comments we received from the consultation, we know that accessibility was a key factor when people indicated their preferred site.”

John MacColl, Land and Development Consultant and Agent for William and Margaret Muir of Starryheugh Farm, said: “My clients’ desire was always to ensure that the NHS was able to acquire their preferred site for the new Dumfries and Galloway Hospital.

“The negotiation for the purchase of the land has achieved this and will assist the NHS in progressing this major project. We are pleased that our involvement has assisted the land acquisition process.”

(IT)