THE Mayor of Hartlepool has criticised proposals made by a Government inspector that houses should be built on hospital land.

The inspector has identified changes to be made to Hartlepool Borough Council's proposed local plan, the blueprint for the town's future development.

Planning inspector Karen McCabe held a public inquiry last summer to consider 519 outstanding objections to the plan and has now proposed that land at the University Hospital of Hartlepool be allocated for housing.

The hospital has made headlines recently because of the number of proposals about its future being considered by the NHS. One option includes closing it and building a hospital between Hartlepool and Stockton.

Senior Hartlepool council officers and councillors have criticised some of the inspector's findings and a report on it is being prepared for presentation to the council's cabinet on February 21.

The local authority does not have to accept the inspector's recommendations, but it must explain its reasoning if it does not decide to take the inspector's proposals on board.

Mayor Stuart Drummond, who chairs the cabinet, said: "I think it is totally unacceptable to suggest that land at our local hospital is allocated for housing. I find this quite astonishing, given that we are midway through a major review which impacts on the future services at the University Hospital of Hartlepool."

Key changes to the Local Plan include:

* That land at the University Hospital of Hartlepool be allocated as general housing land;

l That restrictions are placed on the number of houses that can be built in Hartlepool.

l That the town centre boundary be redefined;

l That some proposed housing sites, including Tunstall Farm be deleted from the plan;

l That limitations are put in place regarding industrial development land at Wynyard, where developer Sir John Hall has major redevelopment plans.

Peter Scott, the council's director of regeneration and planning said: "From my initial observations there are a number of recommendations that are not in the best interests of the future of Hartlepool. Over the next couple of weeks, we do need to analyse the inspector's findings in detail before presenting a comprehensive report for consideration by the cabinet."

The public are being urged to view the report. Copies are available at the Civic Centre, Bryan Hanson House, Hartlepool libraries and Summerhill Visitor Centre.

Alternatively, it can be viewed by visiting www.hartlepool.gov.uk