THE building of Okehampton's new multi-million pound hospital has taken a step further as the town's task group recently met to appoint the architect who will design the building. A name will be announced soon.
The group interviewed five applicants, before awarding the contract for the £4.5-million hospital.
Dr Paul Nielson, the Okehampton GP who has been at the forefront of the campaign to secure the new facility for the town, said: 'The philosophy is that it's designed around the patients and nurses.
'We have these task groups within the town commenting and giving advice on the design and they will feed back to the architect.'
Dr Nielson hoped the design of the new hospital would be ready by the beginning of December — building is due to start next spring.
'It's all going to plan,' he said.
The new hospital will be built on land in Okehampton's Crediton Road and is expected to open in spring 2002.
It replaces the Okehampton's Castle Hospital and District Hospital, which Exeter and District Community Health Trust consider too expensive to modernise.