A NEW planning application for the £35 million redevelopment of St Ann’s Hospital in Poole has been made, health chiefs have confirmed.

Architects went back to the drawing board when Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust’s original scheme to update the Canford Cliffs mental hospital were rejected in December 2009.

The trust says response to the revised plans – which protect the grade II listed building at the heart of the site while providing four new wards and refurbishing an outdated ward block – has so far been “overwhelmingly positive”.

At an exhibition in January to consult the public, 82 per cent of those who gave feedback commented favourably.

In the new scheme, the number of beds will rise by one, to 108.

James Barton, director of adult mental health at the trust, said: “Following the consultation we held for the initial proposals back in August 2009, we were able to identify issues of importance to the local community and ensure these were incorporated into the revised plans at a very early stage.

“These proposals are not about large-scale expansion, they are about improving facilities which no longer meet modern healthcare standards.

“Although we provide the majority of our care in the community, we want to deliver the highest quality care and treatment for those that do need our inpatient services.

“The redevelopment will create single room accommodation in a therapeutic and uplifting environment.”

The application is now subject to formal consultation by the Borough of Poole.