Health chiefs in Bingley are to make an in-depth study of three options for health care in the town after residents proved equally divided over its future.

Airedale Primary Care Trust is to look at the costs and suitability of different plans for Bingley Hospital following a five-month consultation with residents.

The options include building a new hospital on the present site, refurbishing and extending the hospital or building a new hospital in another location in the town.

Health bosses have been looking at replacing services at the Fernbank Road site to address a £1.6 million budget shortfall and the three options were originally put forward in March.

The new facilities will be provided as part of the LIFT project, working with Airedale PCT.

The consultation period ended yesterday and David Riley, director of corporate development at Airedale PCT, said the results of the feedback between the options was so close that further studies were needed.

Mr Riley said: "Around 50 per cent of the responses we had were looking at a new build site in the town centre.

"The other 50 per cent are wanting a new building or refurbishment of the present site.

"In response to these results we are looking at the feasibility costs of these three options."

Plans to shake-up GP services in Bingley will also be looked at through feasibility studies after a public consultation on how services should be developed.

The PCT has proposed to either move the four surgeries in the town to the site of Bingley Hospital, bring together GP and hospital services, or move the practices together to a new site.

In May the consultation period was extended after Airedale PCT said Bingley Hospital could be extended and refurbished and at that time members of the public said staying on the hospital site was their preferred option.

By building new treatment centres alongside a refurbished hospital, GPs could be accommodated on the site.

Mr Riley said Airedale PCT was "disappointed" with the number of responses from the public.

Thousands of consultation leaflets were sent out but there were only 336 responses in connection with Bingley Hospital and just 180 in connection with GP surgeries.

Mr Riley said traffic surveys would also be carried out on Ferncliffe Road to see what impact new services at Bingley Hospital would have on traffic volumes in the area.

The feasibility studies will be carried out in the next couple of months and the results will be reported back to the Airedale PCT board at its meeting in October.

A decision will then be made on which option to pursue.