Ruling politicians have approved a multi-million pound scheme to buy up all the land needed for the Watford Health Campus.

Watford Borough Council’s cabinet voted through proposals for a compulsory purchase order (CPO) to acquire the tracts it does not own in the area earmarked for regeneration.

More than £11 million is available for purchases and compensation to land-owners and businesses affected in the area between Vicarage Road and Dalton Way.

However it also emerged that key Watford General buildings were not included in the land marked out for scheme, which aims to rebuild the hospital’s ailing infrastructure.

A report to the cabinet said the core hospital buildings such as Princess Michael of Kent and the AAU building were not included "as the timing of their replacement is uncertain".

At last night’s meeting Labour leader, Nigel Bell, queried the lack of a health element in the campus map.

He said: "Do you have an idea yet of when the plans for the health part of the health campus are going to happen as what most people want to see are the new health facilities."

Elected mayor Dorothy Thornhill said the buildings were not included as the new chief executive of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Samantha Jones, who started in February, was reassessing what Watford General needed.

She said: "I know they (the trust) wanted a new maternity unity yesterday and they are desperate to get rid of the Portakabins. But they have got a new chief executive who is revisiting all the previous assumptions and we have to respect that.

"She said to me the previous assumptions were made in a different climate."

Manny Lewis, the council’s managing director, added the hospital trust was working on new plans for the Watford General rebuild, which would be finished in the autumn.

The CPO order aims to clear the way for the council to start submitting planning applications for the health campus scheme, which will regenerate Watford General Hospital and build 600 new homes as well as business.

A report to the Liberal Democrat cabinet said the compulsory purchase order would secure all the land needed for the health campus and a new hospital link road into one parcel.

A map of the area planned for the campus showed a large tract earmarked behind Vicarage Road down to the disuse railway tracks including the Farm Terrace allotments and the Cardiff Road Industrial estate.

The parcel then spreads over Wiggenhall Road to cover the sports field behind the Watford Irish Centre, which will be used for the new access road to Dalton Way.

Among the parties Watford Borough Council is buying land off is the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS, which officials said necessary to ensure the title of the land is free of restrictions.

The report said the council had started negotiations with land owners and business due to be affected by the CPO over compensation.

The cabinet was told there were a small number of protected businesses in Cardiff Road entitled to payouts.

However most of the companies in Cardiff Road are not protected businesses. The council said these had been aware of the potential of the land being redeveloped and had benefited from reduced rents as a result.

The details of the compensation negotiations were hidden from the public and discussed at a private part of the cabinet meeting.

Mayor Thornhill defended the secrecy saying: "There is a clear reason it is in Part B, that is we don’t want to show our hand to people with a legitimate entitlement to compensation to know what we are budgeting. We are protecting the public purse."

The report on the CPO revealed the council had £1.7 million available for compensation cost as well as an approved borrowing facility for a further £10 million.

Mayor Thornhill added: "What is apparent is this is becoming real and not just a plan".