Campaigners have been urged to 'be bold' in their efforts to keep a former hospital for community use as more than 200 people attended a public meeting into the plans.
Campaigners have been urged to 'be bold' in their efforts to keep a former hospital for community use as more than 200 people attended a public meeting into the plans.
Residents had been urged to attend the meeting at St Edmunds Hall in Southwold if they wanted to keep the old Southwold Hospital site for the town after it was closed by the Great Yarmouth and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) HealthEast last year.
And Laurence Vulliamy, chairman of the newly-formed Save Our Southwold (Hospital) campaign, said he was 'delighted with the turnout'.
He added: 'I think it shows they're very, very much in favour of keeping it for the community.
'A great many people have had relatives treated in the hospital and to see it turned into yet more housing would be very difficult for people.
However, while he said the town faced an 'enormous challenge' to make its vision a reality, he was 'confident we can raise money for feasibility study' to determine the viability of the project.
The meeting heard from a range of speakers including Suffolk Libraries chief executive Alison Wheeler and Adnams chief executive Andy Wood, who pledged to support the campaign.
Architect Ralph Carpenter said: 'Be bold and look at the potential for change, What we have is a wider vision to create something for the next century.'
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