Still no government sign off for new £63m hospital
Project GenesisThe government has not yet signed off the funding required to build a new £63.4m hospital, councillors have heard.
Durham County Council's adult and health services corporate director Michael Laing told councillors government funding for Shotley Bridge Hospital in County Durham had yet to be confirmed.
The new facility was announced in 2025 as part of the government's New Hospital Programme.
But Laing told a council meeting on Wednesday: "The biggest risk still is that between now and January 2027 there is a delay which means that the trust, who have put a lot of time and effort into this project, will still have a project on paper and not a brick on a brick."
The project, which has been plagued by delays and inflated costs, finally got the go ahead in 2025 following a review.
However the area was identified as the most suitable for the new hospital in 2018, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The hospital had initially been due to open in 2025 but is expected to be completed by 2030, if the government signs off on the scheme.
