CONTROVERSIAL plans for a new hospital near Cramlington are set to be approved by council bosses next week.

The £75m scheme for an emergency care centre is being recommended for approval despite hundreds of objections from residents.

If the go ahead is given, work will speed up on the site, close to the A19 spine road, south of East Cramlington and just eight miles from the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

Warnings have been sounded of a future clash with Newcastle International Airport, with the new hospital set to be located directly under the flight path for journeys to Toronto, New York and Belfast among others.

The proposals for the site, submitted by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, would allow the transfer of all serious emergency cases from North Tyneside and Wansbeck General Hospital, which it also runs. As part of plans to treat around 60,000 patients a year, a five-arm roundabout would be built between the A189 slip-road and Lamb Street.

Transport concerns form one of the biggest worries with residents and businesses warning the already overloaded A19 roundabouts will struggle to cope with extra traffic.

The council has said it will force health bosses to contribute to Moor Farm junction upgrades if planning permission is granted.

Hospital chiefs have managed to address some concerns raised by the airport, which had voiced fears emergency helicopter flights would cause disruption to airport services.

The airport has said that while those issues have been addressed, there remain strong fears over the impact the hospital will have on any future expansion plans.