Delayed plans to rebuild Liverpool’s Royal Hospital have been given the go-ahead by government health ministers.
The new hospital rebuild bid has been approved by the Department of Health and will now be passed on to the Treasury who will make the final decision on the plans.
The £450m project, which was due to begin in the summer, was put on hold in December after government officials said that further analysis of the build was needed.
A Trust spokesperson for the hospital told JMU Journalism that the draft appointment business case had been cleared by the Department of Health, and that the hospital is now waiting on the Treasury’s verdict.
The spokesperson said: “We have been working closely with the Department of Health. There is not an exact timescale on the when the decision will be made but we expect to hear back within the next six weeks.”
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson expressed his excitement at the hope of a new hospital on Twitter on Monday night saying: “The city is to get a new Royal Liverpool Hospital. Great news for the city, its people and staff, let’s get it built ASAP now.”
If given the stamp of approval, the new building should be completed by 2017, and not 2016 as originally expected.