Plans for a major hospital redevelopment have passed a significant milestone.

NHS South of England strategic health authority has unanimously approved an outline business case for the £420 million revamp of the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

The case will now be sent to the Department of Health for approval with hospital bosses hoping for a decision within eight weeks.

If all goes to plan, preparation work could start by the summer.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive Duncan Selbie said: “This is a massive vote of confidence not just for the trust but for the city as well.

“It is a major development and this is a very important stage to have reached.

“I am delighted that all the hard work over the last few years by so many people has now reached this point.”

The redevelopment, which will be carried out in three phases over a decade, will create hundreds of jobs during and after construction.

It will involve the demolition and replacement of the ageing Barry and Jubilee buildings, an underground car park and a helicopter pad.

The plans, backed by The Argus’s Give Us Our Hospital campaign, were approved by Brighton and Hove City council in January.

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