Fears for the future of York's Bootham Park Hospital were voiced by conservationists today as hospital chiefs began looking at its possible relocation.

The psychiatric hospital could be replaced by a brand new development on a "green field site" as part of a realignment of mental health services in the city.

York Health Services Trust is to carry out a study looking at two possibilities.

George Wood, deputy chief executive of the trust, said one adult psychiatric unit still remained at Clifton Hospital and the trust wanted to move it to bring all services together.

The Clifton unit was currently used for the "management of people who required intensive support whilst moving back into the community".

He said the study would look at whether it could be moved to Bootham Park, or whether it and the current Bootham Park facility could be rebuilt elsewhere.

The hospital's current home is a Grade I listed building, designed by York architect John Carr. It opened as the County Lunatic Asylum in 1774, one of the first purpose-built lunatic asylums in the country.

Roger Wools, chairman of Bootham and Clifton Conservation Group, said: "Bootham Park Hospital is a great building designed by John Carr, one of the most famous 18th Century architects.

"It is extremely important, and also the landscape and the trees and the railings. It's a great green lung within the city of York. It's amazing how it's survived and it's so important that it's kept.

"At the moment there is a health use and Government guidelines say these buildings are best kept in their original use.

"I would just hope that it would continue to be used for health services."

Mr Wood said: "The study has just started and is looking to the medium and long term future.

"There are a lot of issues about carrying out alterations at Bootham Park.

"We want to provide certainty for the future as far as investment is concerned, coupled with whether the right decision is to invest in Bootham Park or to locate all the services elsewhere."

He said the trust had no other sites in mind at this stage.

If a new facility was built, it would cost around £7.5 million, and would be available by the end of 2006.

Mental Health Services will eventually become the responsibility of the new York and Selby Primary Care Trust.

Updated: 14:56 Monday, February 05, 2001