Key people involved in Britain's leading rehabilitation centre for injured soldiers have discussed ways to make it a civilian rehabilitation centre once the military move out.

Headley Court will be replaced by a state-of-the-art complex in the Midlands by 2018. But it is still unclear what will become of the existing site owned by the Headley Court Charity.

Experts in rehabilitation, health, finances and property as well as charity representatives and politicians met to discuss its fate at disability charity QEF in Leatherhead on Wednesday, May 13.

Liberal Democrat David Preedy, chairman of Headley Parish Council, said: "Pretty much everybody was saying it would be fantastic if we can retain this as rehabilitation centre.

"Given the facilities and expertise, it would be tragic if it were lost."

Mr Preedy said the idea is that the centre would focus on civilians, such as firefighters and builders injured in the line of work, but there is no reason why veterans could not also use it.

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Nearly a year ago Mole Valley councillors unanimously passed a motion calling for urgent discussions between the council and interested parties over the future of Headley Court.

Of the meeting this month, Mr Preedy said: "This is the first time local authority representatives have had any engagement in the process."

He also warned that senior medical professionals already seem to be looking for jobs elsewhere due to uncertainty over the unit’s future.

He said: "By the time they have something in firm outline, they will have lost a number of key staff. The pace of the decision-making process is a real worry."

MP Sir Paul Beresford also attended the meeting and said a "core team" will now be picked from about 30 to 40 attendees to take the matter forward.

Sir Paul said: "We want it to be used as it is, possibly used for the National Health Service. But we have got to find a way for the National Health Service to pay for it and NHS England to buy the services.

"If we do it that way, people like big insurance companies could also rent the services. The National Health Service would own it and rent it out."

For example, he said rehabilitation and artificial limb technology could be used to treat crash victims who lose a leg or an arm and claim medical care on insurance. The meeting was organised by QEF chairman Robert Douglas.

Chief executive Jonathan Powell said they were pleased to have been part of the discussions but QEF has no current ambitions for Headley Court as they are developing their own site.

Nevertheless he said the charity is "keeping an open mind in case there are any synergies" that mean they could help anyone who may be treated there in the future.

Charity Help for Heroes was first formed to provide an £8.5m complex, including a swimming pool, gym and gait analysis lab, at Headley Court.

Its website says these parts "will be transferred along with all the other parts of the rehab facility" to the Midlands.

A spokesman said it was not a case of moving bricks and mortar, but: "It’s to recreate it as much as possible in the new centre."

This cost is being met by the Duke of Westminster's charity, Black Stork, which is fundraising for the £300m Defence National Rehabilitation Centre at Stanford Hall, near Loughborough.