WORK on the new £23.8m Cardigan integrated health care centre at the controversial Bathhouse Road will start on March 19.

That was the message delivered by Ceredigion county director for Hywel Dda Health Board Peter Skitt when he met with two members of the public who have expressed reservations about the proposals to replace the existing hospital.

Mona O’Connor and former civil engineer Jim Marsden, who had already raised their concerns with the town council, met with Mr Skitt to voice their fears that the cost of the project is too high and the siting is wrong.

Gwbert resident Mr Marsden, who has vast experience as a project engineer with firms such as Mowlem, said the engineering problems at the Bathhouse site were “horrendous” due to the geology of the site and he could not understand why the health board had not looked at redeveloping the existing hospital site or at Parc Teifi.

“You will have to spend between £5m and £8m just on stabilising the land at Bathhouse Road and that will involve a massive amount of piling. I am horrified that you are spending that amount of money just to stabilise the land,” said Mr Marsden.

“It is a terrible site and in my mind rings all the alarm bells.

“For a fraction of that cost, you have all the infrastructure you would need at Parc Teifi with good access and a level site. I feel the blinkers have come on at this site – good, bad or indifferent.”

Mrs O’Connor added: “You are spending £25m when you don’t have to. I cannot understand why all this money has to be spent on getting a site ready when there exists a perfectly good alternative at Parc Teifi or the old hospital site itself.

“The site at Parc Teifi, which is Welsh Government owned, does not even get a mention in the documents I have seen.”

Mr Skitt said all his focus was on providing Cardigan with the best possible outcome and that engineers had assured him the site could be successfully developed.

“Ground monitoring has been going on for a long time and there has been zero movement, while water levels have also dropped significantly. We have waited for work to be finished on the Sainsbury’s site,” said Mr Skitt, who acknowledged there would be extensive groundworks.

“Many people have had a say on this project over the years but as far as I am concerned, all the necessary scrutiny has been done and it has been approved by the Welsh Government,” he added.

“My job now is deliver that project on time and within budget. When we got the go-ahead from the Welsh Government, I pushed the button to make this happen as soon as possible. People want it to happen and we cannot afford any more delays.”

The new centre is due to open in December, 2019.

Mr Skitt confirmed there would be no beds at the new centre with the shift to treating people in the community.

He also added that no private finance initiative cash was involved in the project.

Regarding the future of the existing hospital site and the doctors’ surgery, he said: “As far as we are concerned, that site is owned by the health board but that has to be proved to me.

“It will be sold off but the community should be given first opportunity to buy it. The health centre site will also be sold as a separate lot but it is important for the local population to have control of its destiny if possible.”