The minister said that procurement of the PFI Project could continue as planned after the scheme escaped the axe in the latest round of government spending cutbacks.
The hospital is the most high profile project given last-minute approval by Labour to have escaped the Coalition Government’s purge.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has also confirmed that more than £72m of support for offshore wind projects got through the Treasury spending review.
Projects that got away
- £350m upgrade to the Tyne and Wear Metro.
- £40m refurbishment of Blackpool tower and Winter Gardens
- An £18.5m grant for an offshore wind test site at the New and Renewable Energy Centre (Narec) in Blyth, Northumberland
- An £11.5m grant towards the launch of the £25m Clipper facility in Newcastle, to build the world’s largest turbine blades.
The hospital scheme has received £328m in PFI Credits and it is hoped that construction will be able to commence in 2012.
Several firms are understood to have expressed an interest in the 30-year deal to design, build, finance and operate the new health facility.
So far Balfour Beatty, Brookfields and Carillion have been named as having an interest in bidding.
Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust will shortlist three firms on 13 July. It is unknown if other PQQs were submitted.
The Trust chief executive Tony Bell said he was “absolutely delighted” at the news.
Mr Bell added: “We have had a huge amount of support for the scheme and I’m really pleased that this removes uncertainty for our plans to create a state-of-the-art hospital, which will change the face of healthcare in Liverpool.
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