Work is set to begin on a state-of-the-art mental health unit in Leeds which will provide specialist care for children and adolescents.
LeedsLive reported in June that plans for the £13 million NHS facilities had been submitted, with people in the area urged to give their feedback on the proposals.
Decision-makers at Leeds City Council have now given the go-ahead for construction of the unit at the St Mary’s Hospital site in Armley.
It will provide 22 inpatient beds, six psychiatric intensive care rooms, 16 general en-suite bedrooms, a multi-purpose activity room, educational facilities, a family visiting room and an outdoor courtyard.
There will also be a 'Section 136 Suite', where people detained under the Mental Health Act can be taken for an assessment.
The blueprints, which were submitted by joint applicants Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust (LCH) and Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT), were drawn up with input from patients in order to ensure they will provide the exact facilities needed.
Some of the existing buildings at St Mary’s Hospital will be demolished in February 2020 to make way for the new facilities. Work is expected to start on the new buildings in April 2020, with the unit scheduled to open in September 2021.
Thea Stein, chief executive of Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, said: "This purpose-built CAMHS Unit will be truly transformational in so many ways and I look forward to the day we are able to move in.
"I'd also like to thank the local community and its representatives for being so welcoming to the development during the pre-planning stages. We will do all we can to make sure we are a good neighbour during construction and beyond."
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