A RURAL district is to benefit from a £6.5m community hospital.
NHS bosses have welcomed Teesdale District Council's decision to grant planning permission for a new Richardson Hospital in Barnard Castle.
The hospital will be built in Victoria Road, on the site of Barnard Castle health centre and mortuary, which are to be demolished.
As well as the services offered at the hospital and health centre, the new hospital aims to provide a wider range of outpatient services.
John Salter, a board member for the Durham Dales Primary Care Trust with special responsibility for the Richardson Hospital, said he was delighted at the decision.
He said: "It's marvellous. I think that the people of Barnard Castle and Teesdale will really benefit from this.
"It will bring a whole new range of services that aren't normally available into Teesdale."
Despite concerns over traffic, parking and the design of the hospital, the council's planning committee unanimously approved the scheme.
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