Trust Refuses to Reveal Evidence Behind New Frimley Park Hospital Site Choice

A local resident has formally challenged the lack of transparency surrounding the site selection process for the proposed new Frimley Park Hospital, after the Trust refused to release information under the Freedom of Information Act.

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust has previously stated that nearly 20 sites within a five mile radius of the existing hospital were assessed as part of the New Hospital Programme. These were said to be evaluated against criteria such as site size, accessibility, infrastructure and deliverability.

In order to better understand how these decisions were made, particularly amid growing local concern about the potential impact on protected woodland and land held for community benefit, a Freedom of Information request was submitted seeking high level information on:

• The criteria used to assess potential sites
• Whether brownfield, commercial or former Ministry of Defence land was considered
• The principles applied when ruling sites in or out

The Trust refused the request in full, citing Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, which relates to commercial confidentiality and non disclosure agreements with landowners.

Following this refusal, a formal request for an internal review was submitted. The Trust has confirmed that an internal review is currently underway and has committed to providing a response no later than 6 March.

Excerpt from correspondence between a local resident and Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust regarding a Freedom of Information request. Personal contact details have been redacted.

While it is understood that specific site negotiations may be commercially sensitive, the refusal has raised questions about whether more general or anonymised information, such as site selection principles or confirmation that lower impact land types were assessed, could be shared in the public interest.

The request does not seek to delay or oppose the delivery of a new hospital, which is widely recognised as essential. Rather, it aims to ensure that decisions with potentially irreversible environmental and community consequences are supported by transparent and evidence led processes.

Updates from the Trust on the hospital programme continue to be published on its website. The outcome of the internal review is expected to determine whether any additional information can be disclosed.