Plans for new community hospital in Cockermouth

Plans have been submitted for a new community hospital in a Cumbrian town.

The £11m facility in Cockermouth would replace the existing Isel Road building which is more than 100 years old, and include a GP service.

A planning application has been put before Allerdale Borough Council, and a business case will be considered by the board of NHS Cumbria.

Designs will be on show in the foyer of the existing hospital and at other public venues in the town.

Dr John Howarth, a Cockermouth GP and NHS Cumbria's clinical director, said: "This is an important step for healthcare in Cockermouth and the surrounding area.

"GPs, community nurses and other healthcare staff are already working together to provide improved care for patients both inside and outside the hospital."