ONE of south-east Hampshire's four maternity units is definitely set to close, health chiefs have revealed.

Hampshire Primary Care Trust has announced a public consultation before it decides which of its birthing centres to shut.

Residents are being asked to decide which birthing centres should be kept open.

The four under threat are: the Blackbrook Birth Centre in Fareham; the Blake Birth Centre in Gosport; the Grange Birth Centre in Petersfield; and a co-located unit at St Mary's Hospital in Portsmouth, which will eventually move to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham in 2009.

Last year plans by health chiefs in the New Forest to shut three birthing centres and replace them with one centralised service in Ashurst caused protestors to take to the streets in objection.

Hampshire PCT chief executive Gareth Cruddace said: "For too long birth centres in south-east Hampshire have had an uncertain future and that means local women are nervous about choosing them.

"The aim is to secure a long-term and financially sustainable future for local birth centres to deliver an improved service for local women and their families."

The four options are: 1. Keep the Blake Birth Centre in Gosport; the Grange Birth Centre in Petersfield; and a co-located unit at St Mary's Hospital in Portsmouth (which will eventually move to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham in 2009) but close the Blackbrook Birth centre in Fareham.

2. Keep the Blake Birth Centre, the Blackbrook Birth Centre in Fareham and the co-located unit at St Mary's, but close the Grange.

3. Keep the Blake, the Grange and the Blackbrook but not the St Mary's unit 4. Keep the Grange, the Blackbrook and the St Mary's but close the Blake.

The public consultation exercise will now run until October 31 after which the PCT will make its decision.