Lawyers are now involved in the process as a decision nears on the future site of Dunedin Hospital.
The Southern Partnership Group, which is steering the rebuild project, met yesterday.
At the meeting it narrowed down the number of sites under consideration, convener Pete Hodgson said.
''It is getting close. We are on track to have written advice to the minister within a month.''
Mr Hodgson has previously said the new hospital will be built somewhere between the University of Otago and the Octagon.
''We are now at the stage when we are needing a fair chunk of legal input,'' he said yesterday.
''To date we have focused primarily on health delivery as one might expect, but now we need to check our processes and deliberations from a legal perspective.
''This will ensure that our advice is not only for the benefit of patients, health workers and the community, but that it is also legally safe.''
Health Minister David Clark will make the final decision about the hospital site after receiving the partnership group's recommendations.
The project is estimated to cost more than $1billion, and Mr Hodgson has previously said it would involve constructing the biggest building in the Dunedin CBD.
