PLANS for a multi-million pound psychiatric hospital on the outskirts of a city have been backed by councillors.

The Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust wants to build three 20-bed in-patient wards, offering mental healthcare facilities, and a 16-bed learning disabilities unit at Earls House Hospital, in Lanchester Road, Durham City.

The proposals received the backing of Durham City Council's development control committee at a meeting last week.

The mental health wards, which will be mostly singlestorey, will be built on land left redundant after hospital buildings have been demolished.

Planners say their design will be sympathetic to the architectural style of the neighbouring Bowes Lyon day hospital.

They will be built around a central courtyard, with an enclosed garden, open to patients, carers and visitors.

A cafe terrace will be built at one end and a faith centre at the other.

There will also be a higher circular drum-shaped entrance building, with a green roof to reduce its visual impact.

A car park has been built, after planning permission was granted last year.

The learning disability unit will have its own garden, with security provided by a surrounding hedge and a 1.5m-high wire mesh fence.

The perimeter of the site will be planted with trees and shrubs to improve privacy and security.

Access will be from Trout Lane, off the A691.

The project has been in the pipeline for some years, with outline planning permission granted in 2005.

At Thursday's meeting, Councillor Jeff Lodge welcomed the plans, but said the area's roads were not ready for the extra traffic.

"I've got nothing against the plan itself. I would have thought part of the development would have been to make the road wider. I'm very surprised the developer hasn't put a roundabout in," he said.

However, the county highway authority supported the scheme, saying it will be safe and the extra traffic is unlikely to be problematic.

The county archaeologist also raised no objection.

Planners backed the scheme because, although it would be on green belt land, it would have no greater impact than existing buildings.

The hospital will be constructed with a contribution of business cash, under a private finance initiative.