CHESHAM Hospital has been sold for £1.8 million to what the Free Press believes is a private hospital but health bosses are keeping tight-lipped about the new owners.

Money gained by Chiltern and South Bucks Primary Care Trust from the sale of the site, in Hospital Hill, will be ploughed back into the £11 million Chesham Healthzone project.

Jonathan Carmichael, director of modernisation for the trust, confirmed the sale at a public meeting about the future of the Healthzone on Tuesday, September 13.

"The site has been sold to a private individual. The completion of the sale took place last week," he said.

Mr Carmichael said the new owners wanted to remain anonymous until they finalised their plans for the site.

He added: "People will be pleased to see what they have planned."

A source close to the Healthzone project told the Free Press the future of the Hospital Hill site lay as a private hospital.

The sale of the land to a private hospital would mean there is no need to apply for change of use planning permission.

Pauline Wilkinson, Tory county councillor for Amersham North and Chesham Bois, fought against the closure of Chesham Hospital.

She said it seemed odd that the hospital closed because it was up a hill and now there would be another hospital there.

"They haven't even got planning permission for the new Healthzone yet," she said. "They are still talking to Chiltern District Council officers.

"They have said it should be ready in 2008 and they have made allowance for slippage but I am still worried."

The original Heathzone application, planned for NHS owned land in Berkhampstead Road, was withdrawn because the trust knew the district council would refuse it.

The trust is still working on the final touches of the application to ensure they get it right.

On planning permission for Healthzone, Cllr Wilkinson said: "I think Chiltern District Council, now realises that people want this and they will do all they can to get it through."

The purpose built 3,000 sq metre, two-storey building will accommodate two GP practices and bring services such as dietetics, hearing therapy and podiatry to the town. It will have 105 car parking spaces.

Physiotherapy has now moved from Chesham Hospital to Chesham Leisure Centre, in White Hill, and beds for elderly patients have been moved to Amersham Hospital, in Whielden Street, Old Amersham.

Cllr Wilkinson, who is vice chairman of county council's health overview and scrutiny committee, said the Healthzone was an exciting concept.

She added it would be good for the GPs who would move there because they needed the space but she was sorry to lose the facilities at the hospital.