THIS bird’s eye photo gives a clear view of how work is progressing on a £485 million hospital redevelopment.

The ambitious project to transform the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton is due to finish in 2024.

The first stage of the scheme started in earnest towards the end of 2016.

The time lapse image was taken from the top of the hospital’s Thomas Kemp tower at the end of last week and Eastern Road can seen at the top.

It shows two of four tower cranes which will be used to help build the larger of two new buildings the redevelopment will provide.

Most of the site has been dug down to about four storeys.

This will help accommodate underground car parking and the building’s plant rooms.

Once the building’s framework gets to level seven, an extra section will be added to the bottom of the crane so it can work on the upper storeys as well.

The eventual building will be 11 storeys high.

The tallest crane stands at 72 metres above ground level.

The first building will also form the new main entrance to the hospital.

Richard Beard from the hospital’s redevelopment project said: “Things are all on schedule and doing very well.

“We are expecting the last two cranes will be put in place around March and April.

“A huge amount of work has already taken place and continues to go ahead.”

The redevelopment will also involve pulling down the hospital’s Barry Building, which is one of the oldest in the country, to continue providing inpatient services.

However this will not happen until the first new building is complete and services can be moved in.

It was deliberately done this way round because the services transferred so far do not include too many beds to move.

By leaving the Barry building until afterwards, staff can make the transition go more smoothly.

The Royal Sussex is continuing to function fully as a hospital while the work continues.

The old Barry building site will eventually be used for a new and expanded Sussex Cancer Centre.

Work is also progressing on the hospital’s new helipad, which will be based on the top of the Thomas Kemp tower and is due to open later this year.

The redevelopment is being paid for through the Treasury and is one of the biggest publicly funded hospital projects in the country.

An update on progress can be found on the hospital’s website at bsuh.nhs.uk