Family doctors in Ilkley and surrounding areas are being asked to support latest plans for the development of Coronation Hospital.

Health chiefs need to demonstrate a planned new medical centre offering hospital services such as treatment for minor injuries and x-rays will attract enough patients to make it viable and be able to meet tough 18-week waiting time targets before they push ahead with a formal business plan.

Local residents were first consulted on plans for Coronation Hospital back in 2003 but have since been left frustrated as work has been held up by changes to the NHS and a legal wrangle over the land with Ilkley Grammar School, which has now been resolved.

Ilkley Moor Medical Practice is now taking a lead on the plans with the developer Benchmark which owns its own practice. They favour an option which would see the existing cottage hospital in Springs Lane, which was built in 1904, replaced by a new, purpose-built facility.

The new building will require only half of the existing hospital site and the remainder could then be developed as apartments - the sale of which will contribute to the capital costs of the new medical centre.

The facility, for which formal planning approval has yet to be sought, would be built alongside the Ilkley Moor Medical Practice and could be linked by a corridor.

Neil Fell, interim director of performance and information at Bradford and Airedale Teaching Primary Care Trust, visited Bradford Council's health improvement committee to inform them of the latest plans.

He said the emphasis would be on a holistic approach to patient care and preventing hospital admissions with initiatives such a pulmonary rehabilitation, but it was important it was value for money and the right facility for local residents.

The new medical centre would be open between 8am and 8pm. Services that might be provided from it include: speech therapy, counselling, physiotherapy, mental health services, minor injuries and ailments, day hospital for older people, healthcare psychology, paediatric speech therapy, dietetics (nutrition) chiropody, occupation therapy and x-rays.

The premises could also support the development of additional GP special interest services. Bradford and Airedale Teaching Primary Care Trust commissioning team is undertaking an analysis of demand for services in the Ilkley area, which will be fed back to the Ilkley Moor Medical Practice early next month.

The practice will then meet neighbouring practices from Silsden to Menston in mid-April to gauge the level of support for the project. In turn this will enable the business case to be finalised and assessed. It is thought the new building would take 18 months to complete following approval of the business case and formal planning approval.

Deputy chairman of the health improvement committee and Addingham councillor Michael Kelly said: "As a local resident I can say that our choice will be to use the facility - I am very impressed having read the report.

"Rather than a reduction of services as we heard two years ago this is proposing an expansion of services.

"The issue is that we don't want to have to look forward for too long. Ilkley is very accessible and I am sure that people from Silsden and Menston would use it as well."