PLANS for a new mental health hospital have been submitted.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has put in a planning application to Rother District Council for a 54-bed hospital in Mount View Street, Bexhill.

It is hoped it will replace outdated services at the Department of Psychiatry in Eastbourne.

The trust says funding for the new hospital is being made available under a new £400 million government programme to remove dormitories from mental health facilities.

Public consultations into the proposals found the majority of local people agreed with the plans.

Programme director Paula Kirkland said: "This planning application marks a major step forward towards implementing the first phase of our wider vision to create new modern facilities to address all inpatient mental health needs on a single site for people across East Sussex and beyond.

"We are delighted that most people we have consulted have agreed that there is a need for a new mental health hospital and that the land in Mount View Street is a suitable site for the new facilities.

“Obviously, local people have some specific concerns but we are confident we can address those as we progress with our plans."

The NHS East Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust held a formal public consultation into the proposals between June and September last year.

Most people who responded strongly supported the proposals, with the site in Mount View Street being the preferred location.

A further pre-planning application consultation with residents living near the site was held in March.

While most agreed with the plans, some expressed concerns about the effect on roads, traffic levels and wildlife.

The NHS trust said these concerns have been addressed in the formal planning application.

Plans for a second phase on the same site, which could potentially provide a further 72 beds depending on further funding, are also being drawn up, the trust said.

People now have until June 19 to comment on the plans, which can be found here: bexhillinpatientmentalhealthfacility