THE design of Minehead's new multi-million pound state-of-the-art community hospital will be officially unveiled to the public in just over a week - marking a significant step forward in the long- awaited project. Artists' impressions, information and displays on the £26m development - and the almost completed new skills and enterprise centre - will go on show at an open evening in Minehead on July 21. Both schemes, which are being developed on land between the main West Somerset Community College campus and Seaward Way, are part of the ambitious New Horizons project. The future of the hospital, seen as the lynchpin of the scheme, was uncertain after cash-strapped West Somerset Council was forced to renege on an £11m funding pledge for the overall project last December. Although it has since committed just over £1m towards infrastructure costs, the leisure centre and swimming pool element of the development has had to be abandoned. The funding crisis caused the hospital plans to be revised to incorporate outpatient services which were due to be provided within the leisure centre. But Simon Corrick, project director for the Somerset Primary Care Trust, confirmed yesterday (Thursday) that a planning application for the new hospital would be submitted to the district council, the planning authority, later this month. And ahead of that, health chiefs are preparing to show the details of the development to the community. Hospital architects and developers, along with primary care trust staff, will be available at the open evening, which will be held at the West Somerset Community College. Mr Corrick said he hoped visitors would also discuss the building's design with staff of the existing hospital who had been involved in its development. "Trust staff have been working with the developers Laing O'Rourke over the past six months to develop the hospital plans," he said. "The development of the hospital and the rest of the New Horizons project has been a good example of partnership working between Somerset County Council, West Somerset Council, the West Somerset Community College and the Somerset Primary Care Trust. "We believe that the close working relationship which has developed has been very important and we are keen that this co-operation continues, not only during the construction phases but also in future years. "This will benefit both the college and the hospital but, most importantly, the wider West Somerset community." Construction is expected to start on the new hospital early next year. It is due to have 20 inpatient beds, diagnostic services and investigations, including radiology and pathology, clinical assessment facilities, day surgery, outpatient facilities and a drop-in treatment centre. There will also be a patient support centre, a mental health day unit and a minor injuries unit. The hospital has been designed to make use of the latest diagnostic technology and will combine rapid access to 'one-stop' medical services. In addition to the hospital plans, the open evening will also feature details on the skills and enterprise centre which is being developed by the community college and is scheduled to be up and running from September. It will offer local courses in vocational skills, including construction, motor vehicle, hospitality and catering, hair, beauty and health and social care. College principal Nick Swann said: "We have been planning this exciting new £5.5m development for several years and are delighted that it will be up and running in a matter of weeks. "A full range of new vocational courses across the 14 to 19 age range will be offered in industry standard facilities." Mr Swann said the college would continue to provide a full GCSE and A level programme but would now have the opportunity to greatly expand the range of progression routes to employment, higher education and further training, post 19. "The centre is seen as a national flagship and we are one of the first schools in the country to offer such a broad range of specialist courses," he said. "The response from students and their parents has been phenomenal with strong uptake for the new courses in September." The open evening will run from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.