PLANS to build a £36m hospital serving more than 180,000 people in the New Forest will go on show tomorrow.

Health chiefs will showcase the long-awaited scheme including changes made since the original design was unveiled in November last year.

The 104-bed complex will be built on part of the Ampress site in Southampton Road, Lymington.

Known as the Lymington New Forest Hospital it will serve residents across the district, plus the huge number of tourists who visit the area every year.

Facilities will include a rehabilitation centre, a minor injuries unit, a diagnostic and treatment centre and a six-bed maternity unit.

The new wards will replace the existing Lymington Hospital, which is generally regarded as being too old to meet the needs of the modern NHS.

The project cleared its final hurdle last month after the New Forest Primary Care Trust signed a deal with Ryhurst to construct the building.

A day of celebrations will held at the Masonic Hall in High Street, Lymington, between 10am and 6pm tomorrow.

A trust spokesman said: "People will be able to view the up-to-date plans, talk to the experts and discover more about the new hospital. They can also find out how to become more involved in the development."

Due to open in 2006, the complex will be built under a scheme known as a Private Finance Initiative (PFI).

Ryhurst will pay for the new building. The trust will then reimburse the company by making an annual payment for the next 30 years.

Paul Johnson, the trust's PFI project manager, said: "The site is now being prepared for building work and will soon be ready for the foundations to be laid.

"We expect work to begin in earnest shortly."