SUGGESTIONS Northwood and Pinner Community Hospital could be sold have sparked fury.

The hospital, in Pinner Road, closed in 2008 after NHS Hillingdon declared it unfit for purpose. Since then it has been a base for London Ambulance Service vehicles.

But now a plan to sell the hospital built as a war memorial has emerged in papers from a recent board meeting of the trust. The budget-setting report says ‘disposal of the asset’ should be completed by September.

When it closed, the trust originally said funding the removal of asbestos and other vital work was not a priority. Residents and health groups campaigned to restore the hospital to bring it back into community use.

Last year, the War Memorial Trust backed their call and said if it was rebuilt, every effort should be made to keep the hospital’s name and heritage, including a commemorative beam honouring those who died in war.

Andrew Riley, chairman of Northwood Hills Residents’ Association, said it was ‘underhand’ to publish the proposals without consulting groups first.

When the Gazette called him he said: “This is the first I have heard of this and would have thought it would have been common courtesy for the chairman of the board to speak with the Residents’ Association and others before publishing such proposals.”

Joan Davis, of health watchdog Community Voice, said: “We will passionately defend the fact that this is a war memorial and every brick of it is in memory of those who lost their lives.”

A spokesman for NHS North west London, which NHS Hillingdon is part of, said the site had been vacant for several years, and services had been relocated to Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood.

“NHS Hillingdon is now considering disposal of the site, as it is no longer required for the purpose of providing local healthcare services.

“Any decisions over the future use of the site will take into account the views of the local community.”

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