Headley Court centre, based just outside Epsom, has a world wide reputation for its rehabilitation work with critically injured servicemen and women. In recent years has more than doubled in size to cope with the numbers of military personnel needing its services after being injured in iraq and Afghanistan.

Last winter work started on a huge £8m development to provide the centre with its own swimming pool and a new therapy centre funded by money raised by the Help for Heroes charity.

Last week under secretary for state for defence, Kevan Jones, said that the Ministry of Defence was undertaking a study to examine the possibility of establishing a new national rehabilitation centre in the Midlands. If goes ahead Headley Court could close in under ten years time.

A private benefactor had agreed to fund a study into the possibility of building a new rehabilitation centre in the midlands to provide medical care for both military personnel and civilians closer to Selly Oak hospital, the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, in Birmingham.

In a written statement to MPs he said: “This study into a possible new national rehabilitation centre with a defence facility at its core is a fantastic opportunity to assess how we can ensure that the quality of our rehabilitation services is maintained for years to come.”

Later an MOD spokesman said “We need to ensure our rehabilitation services are the best in the world. Building this centre in the Midlands could mean moving away from Headley Court but you are looking 10 years away.

“The Help for Heroes money will not be wasted as people using the facilities at Headley Court for years to come”

Members of the Royal family are regular visitors to Headley Court. Last year Princes William and Harry visited to speak to the injured men and women being treated at Headley.

After the news broke Mole Valley MP Sir Paul Beresford said: “I am really quite shocked and angry about this and I think there will be people who have donated money to help those at Headley Court who are going to be quite upset about this.”

In May 2008 Defence Secretary Des Browne announced another £24m in additional funding for upgrading Headley Court facilities to pay for building extra accommodation, a larger prosthetic limb manufacturing facility and a neurological treatment centre.

Headley Court set in grounds of 83 acres was owned by Lord Cunliffe, a former governor of the Bank of England It was used as the HQ for Canadian forces based in Europe during the Second World War.

Headley Court was bought by a charitable trust and handed over to the RAF to use as a rehabilitation and convalescent home for injured RAF personnel, RAF Headley Court was officially opened by the Duchess of Kent in 1950.