PLANS for the new Malvern community hospital are set to go to the next stage.

South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust Board has formally received the results of the public consultation and will now meet the Malvern Hospital Project Board to "move the process forward".

Trust chief executive Mike Ridley said he would like to thank the many local people who were interested enough to attend the public meetings and also those who took the time to write in with their comments.

"We are now in a position to work towards a preferred option, develop detailed costings and put in place arrangements for identifying a development partner," he said.

"We will work with the project team and produce an outline business case then a full business case.

"We have already had a number of interested organisations, including Malvern Hills District Council, who would wish to be our development partner. This is very encouraging and we will be investigating these further.

"We intend to move this scheme forward as quickly as possible."

and we would hope that we would be able to start the building work next year."