NHS Lanarkshire has signed off the full business case for its planned new £700m University Hospital Monklands and passed Scotland’s first fully digital, net-zero carbon hospital to ministers for final approval.

The milestone clears the way for construction to start next year on the 185-acre Wester Moffat site in Airdrie.

Laing O’Rourke is leading pre-construction on the Monklands Replacement Project, adding to its track record of delivering 18 major hospitals since 2010.

The existing Monklands Hospital would be replaced on completion of the new hospital in 2031 and could later be transformed into a health and wellbeing village.

NHS Lanarkshire chair Martin Hill said the approval represented “the most important milestone in recent memory”, with the full business case giving assurance on design, service planning and clinical pathways.

Chief executive Louise Long said the project was a “trailblazing” opportunity to embed digital healthcare systems and sustainable design from day one, delivering Scotland’s first major acute hospital built to net-zero standards for both construction and operation.

Project director Graeme Reid said completing the final business case was “the result of years of hard work” by board teams and external advisers, moving the Monklands Replacement Project into its final approval phase.