HOPES are high that the grand design for the future of the former Cashes Green Hospital will save at least some of its much-loved old buildings.

Kevin McCloud, presenter of Channel 4's Grand Designs programme, and his team were in Cashes Green yesterday to assure people that they had listened to local concerns about the potential loss of the landmark unit, especially its long-disused nurses' home.

After an earlier public consultation about the redevelop-ment, conservationist Jenny Bailey from the Save Cashes Green Hospital group and other campaigners made heartfelt pleas against total demolition to make way for 78 new homes.

Now Hab Oakus, the partnership behind the scheme, has returned and said: "We know that there is strong local attachment to the existing buildings. We have concluded that it is not realistic to preserve them all."

But Hab spokeswoman Sahra Gott said: "Our aim is to turn the lodge into a two-bedroom house and to convert the nurses' home into three four-bedroom homes.

"There are, however, considerable costs involved in retaining the nurses' home and we are looking for third parties to provide the materials and funding to help us deliver a high-profile exemplar refurbishment scheme."

Mr McCloud was at yesterday's consultation session in Cashes Green Youth Club and assured campaigners that their comments had been taken into consideration.

He said: "We're trying our best. We're sincerely hopeful and are working hard to find the money and a way to be able to invest in some of the empty buildings."

Affordable homes will be part of the scheme, plus allotments and green spaces.

Mr McCloud's company Happiness, Architecture, Beauty and housing group GreenSquare formed Hab Oakus as a joint venture to redevelop the derelict and long-abandoned hospital site.

They are working with Glouc-estershire Land for People, whose chairman Max Comfort said he was pleased some of the buildings may be saved, with the support of government landowners the Homes and Communities Agency.