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Search the Public Notice PortalResidents have been promised there will continue to be an ambulance presence in Hythe as concerns remain over response times and the impact of major A326 roadworks.
The reassurance follows a meeting between New Forest councillor Malcolm Wade, MP Sir Julian Lewis and senior bosses at South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS).
Cllr Wade, who has raised concerns about ambulance response times across the New Forest, said the meeting focused on the future of Hythe Ambulance Station and the disruption expected during planned improvements to the A326.
This comes as Hampshire County Council plans to widen the A326, which could result in three to four years of delays and roadworks for residents.
Following the discussions, SCAS executive director of operations Mark Ainsworth confirmed the service is committed to keeping a standby point in Hythe regardless of any future changes.
Mr Ainsworth said: "Under all options for the future we commit to retaining a standby point in the Hythe area. This is an ongoing commitment recognising our need for a network of standby points across our entire area."
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He said if Hythe Ambulance Station stopped being used as a staff base, it would initially continue operating as the area's standby point while the ambulance service monitored any impact on response times.
The SCAS boss continued: "If collaboration with Hampshire Fire and Rescue offers the opportunity to use Hythe Fire Station, or if an alternative site were considered, we would run a pilot from the proposed location before making final commitments on selling the current Hythe Ambulance Station site."
Mr Ainsworth also pledged that any permanent changes would be subject to further public engagement and that local councillors would be kept updated as changes progressed.
Addressing concerns over the forthcoming A326 improvement work, he said SCAS would work closely with partner organisations to ensure emergency vehicles could continue reaching patients.
He continued: "We commit to ensuring there is close partnership working on the traffic management plan."
The ambulance service also agreed to work with local representatives to encourage more publicly accessible defibrillators across the New Forest and review whether additional community first responders could be recruited.
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