A NEW facility at Watford General Hospital which will house 120 beds transferred from Hemel Hempstead cannot be built until a legal dispute is resolved.

Although Watford Borough Council granted planning permission last week, it is not known when construction of the £28million Acute Admissions Unit (AAU) will start.

A judicial review of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust's decision to transfer its acute services has been submitted to the courts by a Hemel Hempstead resident, supported by the Dacorum Hospital Action Group (DHAG). They argue the trust's decision was based on a flawed consultation.

Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning, who supports the appeal, said: "It's all very well to build a bright, shiny new facility at Watford.

"But it's not acceptable to do that if it endangers my constituents.

"If Watford FC are playing at home and you live in Kings Langley, it's impossible to get down the A41 to the hospital."

Construction of the AAU at Watford would see all acute services transferred from Hemel hempstead; however, the trust cannot secure funding for the project until the legal wrangling is over.

The trust's director of planning, Sarah Shaw, said the facility would take a year to build once a contract with the developer is signed, but that this could not take place until the review was resolved.

The move is part of the trust's plan to combat its £43million budget deficit. It must balance its books if it is to secure private investors for a new £250million hospital in Watford as part of the health campus development.

The AAU is not just being built for financial reasons.

Ms Shaw said the three-storey, 6,000 square metre building also represents a change in operations.

She said: "It will be connected to the existing accident and emergency (A and E) unit on two levels.

"It will have its own X-ray machine and CT scanner, beds on the ground and second floors and a pharmacy and dispensary.

"The majority of people coming to hospital will still go straight to A and E for assessment.

"Where necessary, patients will be admitted to the AAU where there will be a maximum stay of 48 hours.

"The idea is we have everything necessary to diagnose and treat acutely ill people under one roof."

The building, which will largely be prefabricated off-site, is expected to last about 40 years and can be dismantled and moved.