A long-delayed upgrade of the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Rhyl is finally moving after the Welsh Government confirmed £33m to kickstart construction of a new health hub.

The funding unlocks the first phase of a wider £60m transformation of the site and sees modular specialist MTX Contracts appointed to deliver the centre.

The funding commitment follows more than a decade of false starts.

Back in 2013, ministers backed plans for a £22m, 30-bed hospital on the Royal Alex site that was due to open in 2016. But nine years on from that projected completion date, work has yet to begin.

Planning consent was secured in 2020, only for the scheme to stall as Covid disruption and spiralling inflation blew apart cost plans.

A “paired-back” version has since been taken forward by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The new-build element, due for completion in 2027, represents phase one of the overall investment. A separate business case covering refurbishment and upgrades to the existing hospital buildings is expected to follow.

The revised proposals centre on a new 14-bed ward, a Minor Injuries and Ailments Unit, expanded radiology and a dental facility with four new suites.

In a joint statement, health board chair Dyfed Edwards and chief executive Carol Shillabeer said approval of the business case means preparatory work and construction can now progress.