PLANS for a new £288m Alder Hey have won the crucial backing of two major health organisations.

The blueprint to create a children’s health park at the West Derby hospital was endorsed by the Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and Monitor, the regulator of foundation trusts.

Their support now allows the hospital to go to the Department of Health for a final go-ahead.

As a foundation trust, Alder Hey has more financial freedom than other hospitals, but its status means support from Monitor is essential.

Chief executive Louise Shepherd said: “We are delighted to receive Monitor’s approval of our plans, the process for which includes a rigorous testing of the project’s affordability.

“To win this support, coupled with that of the SHA, is a significant milestone because it paves the way for the next stage of the process.

“Currently, we see around 200,000 children and young people each year, but at present growth rates expect to see demand for our services increase significantly over the coming years.”

The aim is start work on the build in 2012 to enable the new hospital, set in parkland, to open in 2014, the year of Alder Hey’s centenary.