Sir Mike Penning, MP for Hemel Hempstead, has tabled an Early Day Motion in the new Parliament calling for a new hospital to be built on a greenfield site in West Hertfordshire.
The text of the motion reads:
Early Day Motion No.9: New acute hospital in West Hertfordshire on greenfield site
That this House notes that the acute hospital in Watford was the first hospital to be built under the reign of Queen Victoria; further notes that the hospital has since been developed in an ad hoc manner and that the deterioration of its facilities has made it harder for the excellent doctors, nurses and auxiliary staff to carry out their work; notes that there is a lack of affordable parking facilities for staff, patients and visitors as a result of its location next to a Premier League football club; recognises the further pressure put on the hospital's facilities following the closure of acute services at St Albans and Hemel Hempstead which were opposed by the majority of local residents; and calls on the Government to halt the taxpayer-funded redevelopment of the Watford site and welcome the news that £590 million is available for a new acute hospital on a greenfield site that can serve all of the growing population of West Hertfordshire.
Early Day Motions are tabled by MPs for debate at the ‘earliest opportunity’. In reality, however, with Government business, regular Parliamentary business and Opposition Days etc, this never happens. Instead, EDMs are used by MPs to raise awareness of issues they are concerned about and to bring an issue to the attention of Government Ministers.
Sir Mike said:
“I will continue to use every avenue open to me to highlight the madness that the Trust is proposing to spend huge amounts of money redeveloping on an wholly unsuitable site.
“Anyone who knows anything about construction will tell you that building on a greenfield site is easier than redeveloping an existing site whilst keeping the current premises open for business.
“There are good sites out there – that are convenient for Watford, as well as being accessible for Hemel Hempstead and St Albans. We want a new hospital on a new site accessible to all areas of West Hertfordshire. All we need is some common sense.”