THE chairman of a leading national centre for recovery from spinal injuries has praised the decision to rebuild a local hospital.

Peter Stanford, head of ASPIRE, said the decision to rebuild the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital on its existing site was a "brilliant decision".

He said: "I am delighted the Government has finally seen sense and decided to give the hospital the go-ahead on this site."

The hospital trust was granted permission in January to build a new £110m hospital on the current site.

The ASPIRE centre is based in the grounds of the hospital, and had a recent £8m refurbishment which Mr Stanford believes helped sway the government's decision.

Speaking at ASPIRE's 25th birthday celebration, he said: "We are the shining light here.

"We have invested a huge amount of money in this site to ensure the hospital stays here and gets even better."

The hospital is a leading centre for treating patients with bone and muscle problems.

It is currently drawing up a business plan to present to the Department of Health.