Plans for a multimillion-pound hospital redevelopment have passed their next hurdle.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has given formal Department of Health approval for the £420 million plans for the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

It means funding for the first stage of the ten-year project can now be released.

The money will pay to move staff and equipment out of older buildings and into the former St Mary’s Hall School nearby so preparation work on the main site can begin.

The next step in the process will be the production of a full business case which will be sent to the Government to consider.

South East Coast Strategic Health Authority and Brighton and Hove City Council have already approved the scheme.

The redevelopment will create hundreds of jobs during and after construction.

It will involve the demolition and replacement of the Barry and Jubilee buildings, an underground car park and an expanded cancer centre.

A helicopter will be placed at the top of the Thomas Kemp Tower so critically ill patients can get the treatment they need more quickly.