A decision on a £420 million redevelopment of one of the region’s biggest hospitals could be made by the autumn.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust has altered designs for the Royal Sussex County Hospital almost 30 times in the past two years.

Developers will now present the blueprint to planning chiefs at a special briefing this month before the final proposal is submitted.

Sources at Brighton and Hove City Council believe a final decision should be made as soon as September.

The three-phase redevelopment would include the demolition of the hospital’s old Barry and Jubilee buildings which is expected to receive some opposition from conservationists.

It would also see the creation of a helipad for the air ambulance on top of the Thomas Kemp tower block and the expansion and replacement of the Sussex Cancer Centre.

A closed doors pre-planning meeting is scheduled to take place on July 19. This will see the development team present their proposal to planners and councillors before a decision is taken publicly by the local authority’s planning committee.

Managers are keen to submit the application as soon as possible because of fears that funding could be lost.

The Argus understands the Government has agreed to approve the project, but this will only happen formally once planning permission is given.

Any delays could lead to the money being used for other schemes around the country instead.

Redevelopment project manager Duane Passman previously said he expects to submit the planning application by the end of August at the very latest.

He said: “There is a still a lot of work that has to be done but progress is being made.”

Conservation g roups are already having their say on the proposals despite no formal planning application being submitted.

A statement produced by the conservation g roup Brighton Society said: “Although we regret the loss of the Barry building, we accept it is not possible to retain it as part of a new scheme.

“The present bulk, mass and scale of phase one of the planned hospital could encourage developers of adjacent sites to propose buildings of a scale and height which would damage neighbouring conservation areas, including some of Brighton’s famous seafront squares, crescents and terraces, which are amongst the most outstanding examples of formal town planning in Europe.”