A fresh call has been made for a new Grantham hospital to be built on the barracks site on the edge of town.

The suggestion comes from Londonthorpe and Harrowby Without Parish Council in a letter to South Kesteven District Council.

It comes as the district council has set out the terms of the extent of environmental and other impact reports and studies Homes England and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation must carry out as part of the planning process for their ambitious development.

As Nub News has previously reported, a mixed use development is planned including up to 4000 new dwellings, residential conversion of listed officers' mess building, commercial uses, local centre, schools, open space and other associated infrastructure.

However, campaigners and the Grantham Labour Party are demanding that thousands of trees on the site a saved, rather than face the axe.

Peter Armstrong, the town clerk of Londonthorpe and Harrowby Without Parish Council has told SKDC the parish council wants no work to start before the Grantham Southern Relief Road is fully operational, rather than have construction traffic for the first 200 homes pass through Grantham town centre, as currently suggested.

The parish council also sought confirmation of the closure of the barracks, saying it can't be right work on the homes would start in 2023, with the camp closing in 2024.

It wanted no building work to start until the barracks was "fully closed and everything military moved off site."

The parish council also sought the Officers Mess to be fully protected during all works on site and kept in a good state of repair until re-developed as homes.

The letter said: "We would suggest that one of the many other good buildings on the site could be turned into a Community Centre. Can this be built into the plans?"

Citing the Jubilee Wood, which was planted in 2012 to mark the Queen's Silver Jubilee, it continued: "We would hope that as much of this forestry work could be built into the plans. Where this is not possible transplanting to other sites should be considered. Maybe the Woodland Trust could assist in this."

Among other suggestions, the parish council asked for a role in the naming of streets.

It also asked: "Could consideration be given to providing a site for a new Grantham Hospital? After all this is a government site!"