CONFUSION reigns over a £45,000 contribution that has been proposed to alleviate the car parking problems at the Haslemere Hospital and health centre site.

At a meeting of Waverley's development control committee last month, councillors discussed the possibility of giving the Guildford and Waverley Primary Care Trust half of the £90,000 planning gain from development of the former ambulance site in Grayswood Road.

Former Waverley councillor Ann Mugford, who was on the committee that talked about the contribution, told The Herald that the money had been approved.

"We got that expenditure as the last item at my last meeting after 27 years as a councillor, so it was a bit of a cliffhanger," she said. "It is because the ambulance site is now right next door to the hospital that the problem has been created, so we thought it was a kind of justice to give some of the money to that.

"It is unusual for Waverley to give money to the NHS, but we agreed it," Mrs Mugford added.

But a spokesman for the council has insisted that officers are still only investigating the possibility of giving the money after the development control committee gave it priority, and that nothing had yet been confirmed.

There is also some confusion over where the money would actually go. Mrs Mugford said the car park was specifically for the health centre, and not for the hospital.

But a spokesman for Waverley said the opposite.

Bernadette Burrows of the Guildford and Waverley PCT believed that the money had been offered already, but was unable to confirm whether the car park would be for the hospital, the health centre, or both.

"We recently heard that we have received the money and plan to build a car park behind Haslemere Health Centre," she told The Herald. "But we do not have any details as yet about the use or size of the car park."

Mrs Burrows was unable to give details about the number of spaces, whether they would be free, or the ratio of patient to staff spaces.

"A meeting will be held in June when we will discuss these issues," she continued. "We were very pleased to have received the money and are looking forward to making progress on the parking issue."

Parking at the hospital has long been a problem. On-street parking nearby, combined with heavy goods vehicles using it to avoid going under Fosters Bridge, has often left Church Lane gridlocked. The alternate access at Beech Road has suffered similar difficulties.

Local residents, councillors, hospital staff, and patients have all complained about not being able to get access to the hospital and health centre.

Mrs Mugford said that she had fought hard for the money, and hoped it would now provide a solution.

"I've been trying since last August to get something for the benefit of the local community.

"I'm hoping people will see some improvement in the car parking which at the moment is a misery."

The deal with the original developers of the former ambulance site, Phoenix Land Development, generated a huge amount of controversy last year. Waverley was accused of "selling planning permission".

Mrs Mugford said she hoped people would now see the benefits of the deal.

"It is unusual for Waverley to do this kind of thing, but I'm told it's common practice in other places," she said. "You'll probably will see it happening again."

Since permission was given to build eight homes on the site, the land has been sold to an unknown buyer for £1.25 million. The mystery developer is expected to have to pay the £90,000 itself, which includes the funding for the proposed car park.

Of the remaining money, £25,000 is going towards furnishing the new Haslewey community centre, but £20,000 has yet to be allocated.