Work is about to start on the long-awaited regeneration

scheme at Hengrove Park.

The city council hopes the project – including a new

hospital, a skills academy and an Olympic-sized swimming pool –

will transform peoples' lives in south Bristol.

The hospital, which residents have been promised for

decades, is likely to get under way in December.

It could take until then for the government to accept the

business case made by Bristol's Primary Care Trust (PCT) for

the £50-million funding.

The £100m-plus first phase of the park's regeneration will

start with £28m of new infrastructure, including an access road

off Whitchurch Lane, improvements to Whitchurch Lane and the

Hartcliffe roundabout.

There will be a new bus terminal as well as the provision of

gas, electricity, phone and internet services to the site.

Some of the ground for this work will probably start being

cleared next week.

Phase two, including hundreds of new homes, will come

later.

The PCT, which commissions health services locally, is

aiming to open the community hospital in early 2010.

It had been initially hoped work would be finished by autumn

next year.

Before construction work can start, the PCT needs final

approval from the government.

Finishing touches are being made to the hospital's business

case, which will detail the services it will offer, before it

is submitted to the Department of Health.

Ministers are expected to spend up to three months

scrutinising the plan before releasing the funds.

Hospital project director Ben Bennett said: "We are aiming

to submit the business case to the Department of Health, the

PCT board and the board of NHS South West by the first week of

September."

The first phase of Hengrove Park's regeneration will include

a so-called "healthplex" leisure centre linked to the hospital,

a skills academy and the headquarters of a major employer,

probably Computershare, which would move from its present

offices on Bedminster Down.

Millions of pounds of public money is being pumped into the

scheme, providing design services and infrastructure.

The city council is putting in £7.5m. The money comes from a

variety of sources, including land and asset sales, borrowing

and planning agreements with developers.

The ruling Labour cabinet has also set aside a further £2.5m

for "non-infrastructure" spending, such as kick-starting new

bus links to Hengrove Park.

Meanwhile, the government is putting a further £7.5m into

the scheme's infrastructure.

This will come from its national "growth points" fund.

The South West Regional Development Agency will put in an

extra £8.5m, with the rest of the money needed is coming from

sales of council-owned land to the developers of the hospital

and academy.

Like the hospital, the academy was granted planning consent

in March.

The construction plans are now being finalised and it is

hoped to start work this autumn, with completion at the end of

next year or beginning of 2010.

The leisure centre, with its Olympic pool – the biggest

public swimming pool in the South West – is expected to open by

autumn 2010.