BUILDING contractor John Mowlem & Company has begun work on a £1.9m project to construct four acommodation blocks as part of the redevelopment of South Tees Acute Hospital Single Site Development.

Two residences, both containing 12 flats complete with bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens, for families visiting relatives being treated at the hospital are being built.

The third block will provide 32 study bedrooms for nurses' accommodation, with the fourth, a three-bedroomed building, intended for junior doctors. Both buildings will include bathrooms, living area's and kitchens.

Mowlem, which has regional offices in Gateshead, started the external work and drainage on the site and the traditional brick and timber three-storey structures are expected to take a year to complete.

The contract forms part of the £130m concession agreement signed with South Tees Acute Hospitals NHS Trust for the expansion and operation of the hospital.

It will be one of the largest tertiary hospitals in the country. And with approximately 1,000 beds it will be the largest hospital in England. 0nce completed, the new hospital will be operated by Mowlen's Facilities Management company Aqurnen, which will undertake all the non-clinical hard and soft facilities services in a £9m per year contract lasting up to 30 years.

Regional Director for John Mowlem in the North East, Martin Nunn, said: "This is an important scheme to redevelop hospital to become the largest in England under a PHL Agreement. We are pleased to be involved in this project to provide quality accommodation for both staff and families."