THIS is the first picture of how the long-awaited new Lymington Hospital might look.

After years of funding delays, rejection and red-tape hold-ups, bosses at the New Forest Primary Care Trust (PCT) have revived plans for the £30 million project - though no deadlines have been set for when construction will begin.

And with the scheme likely to take years to complete, they are looking into ways of transferring services from the ageing Lymington Infirmary to other facilities in the community in the meantime, as well as expanding treatment in the home.

The original plan for the new hospital, to be built on the Ampress site off the A337 Southampton Road, foundered at the final hurdle last year when the government ruled its suggested Private Finance Initiative partner was not suitable.

Frustrated health chiefs went back to the drawing board, and have now produced an outline business case, including this illustration, for a new-look 98-bed facility, plus 18 further beds for day-care cases.

The latest version also includes proposals for a diagnostic and treatment centre for one-stop health services, and is now going through an approval process at the new Hampshire and Isle of Wight Health Authority before it is submitted to the regional government office for the crucial go-ahead.

But with no date fixed for when the hospital might finally open, options are being explored to re-locate care currently provided at the Infirmary, which houses 37 beds - seven of which are not used on health and safety grounds.

"The buildings at the workhouse part of the Infirmary are in a poor condition and there is an urgent need for significant investment in maintenance if we are to bring the facilities up to 21st-century standards," said PCT spokeswoman Eleanor Simmons.

"The building and infrastructure are antiquated, and the water and heating supply to the first floor is inadequate to support patient care."

As a result, some of the beds could be transferred to other community hospitals in the area and other models of care may be expanded - including the PCT's home treatment team, which has proved hugely popular with patients.