The first step towards a multi-million pound project at Arrowe Park Hospital has been given the green light.
The Wirral hospital wants to spend £28m on a new urgent and emergency care facility.
The revamp would be the biggest investment in the hospital since it was built 40 years ago.
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Before the project can go ahead, the current urgent treatment centre and staff accommodation at the hospital needs to be demolished.
Wirral Council has now said prior approval is not needed for the demolition, meaning the work can now be carried out.
The hospital is set to submit a further application for the new urgent and emergency care facility itself. The plan is for work to start in the middle of this year with the new facility set to open in March 2024.
The scheme includes a complete redevelopment of the current A&E at Arrowe Park Hospital, run by Wirral University Teaching Hospital, and the Urgent Treatment Centre, which is currently based next door on the same site and is run by Wirral Community Health and Care Trust (WCHC).
Janelle Holmes, chief executive at Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH), said: "This will be a fantastic facility for staff and patients and the work will completely transform Wirral’s only emergency department and also the provision of urgent care for local people.
"This is the biggest investment at Arrowe Park Hospital since it was built almost 40 years ago and shows our commitment to enhancing the care we provide to those who are in most urgent need.
"It is another example of strong partnerships, working with health and care organisations across Wirral which are continuing to work together for the benefit of people in the community."
The proposal will see a new urgent care and emergency department developed with a single-entry point and the reconfiguration of the emergency department and urgent treatment centre into one, providing better use of space to allow for social distancing and improved access for ambulances.
A spokesperson for WUTH also said: "The centre will have the very best clinical expertise and facilities to provide the safest and most clinically effective care for urgent and emergency patients.
"It will also align with the NHS Long Term plan to provide a 24-hour collaborative urgent care service; allow rapid assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients so people with certain conditions can return home on the same day and help reduce length of stay for patients.
"The commitment is part of WUTH’s strategy over the next five years to provide outstanding care across Wirral."
The Trust has appointed Tilbury Douglas as the primary construction and engineering contractor as well as Day Architectural Ltd to provide design expertise.
Dr Nikki Stevenson, medical director and deputy chief executive at the Trust, added: "Our aim is to continuously provide the best care we can for our patients and this new facility will help us to do that.
“We are very excited about the development, which will create a much simpler process and a better patient journey for those who visit our emergency department or urgent care facilities."
