Plans for a “much-needed” extension of a hospital’s emergency department have been approved despite a campaign to protect a memorial garden for bereaved parents.

A new two-storey extension will be built at University Hospital North Durham to cope with the increased demands on NHS services, which has seen an increase of over 60,000 attendances in recent years.

The impact of the pandemic and continuing pressures on wider health services has further overwhelmed the current building making the existing emergency department no longer fit for purpose. The extension will be made to care for up to 79,000 patients in the future.

Dryburn House, a Grade II listed former hospital building opposite the A&E, will be demolished to make way for the extension while a memorial garden used by parents to remember their babies will be relocated.

Read more: University Hospital of North Durham baby memorial garden to be moved

The Northern Echo: Katie Baker, Jean Thompson Singh, Ann McNally and Amy Rennie pictured outside The Little Angels Garden of Remembrance at North Durham University Hospital which is being moved due to the extension of A&EKatie Baker, Jean Thompson Singh, Ann McNally and Amy Rennie pictured outside The Little Angels Garden of Remembrance at North Durham University Hospital which is being moved due to the extension of A&E (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

Bereaved parents had raised concerns over the plans however, as the garden has been on the site since 1997 and contains around 540 plaques dedicated to infants who died in the hospital.

Campaigners believe that a compromise could be reached, which would see the garden remain in its current location, but the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust has instead agreed to relocate the garden in partnership with the parents.

Those with babies in the garden say they were not notified by the hospital about the plans, adding to their feelings of frustration - with many finding out through social media.

And councillor Kevin Shaw criticised the council’s handling of such a sensitive issue. “This isn’t about moving plaques there’s children’s remains in that garden,” he said. “It’s a really abhorrent way in which those children’s remains are being dealt with.”

But the council says new site has been identified in a wooded area to the north-west of the hospital and Trust officials have invited parents to feedback their opinions on the proposal.

A similar proposal was approved in 2017 but has since expired. Dryburn House was once the home of railway baron William Lloyd Wharton who ran the North East Railway Company, and was later used as part of the hospital, but is now deemed outdated.

The Northern Echo: Dryburn House which will be demolished as part of North Durham University Hospital's extension of A&E Dryburn House which will be demolished as part of North Durham University Hospital's extension of A&E (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

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At a planning meeting on Tuesday, Trust officials stressed the immediate need for facility improvements to cope with demand. Cllr Alan Bell said: “More than ever this scheme I much-needed and this extension needs to happen.”

The extension was approved and representatives from the Trust say demolition work will start soon and should take 20 weeks, with building work taking a further 80 weeks.