Horton General Hospital in Banbury could be rebuilt in £370m plan

The Horton General Hospital in Banbury could be entirely rebuilt if a funding bid is successful

A health board wants to replace a hospital with a new complex that would be almost double the size.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust wants to rebuild Horton General Hospital in Banbury on its existing site in a £370m project.

It said its preferred option was to replace the current 30,700 sq m (330,000 sq ft) building with a 58,000 sq m (620,000 sq ft) complex.

It hopes it will be included in the government hospital building project.

The trust's board is expected to accept a proposal at a meeting on Wednesday to submit a formal expression of interest with the Department of Health and Social Care, to be included in the Health Infrastructure Plan (HIP) by Thursday.

The government said it hoped to deliver 40 new hospitals by 2030. There are eight places for trusts remaining on the programme.

The hospital trust said it anticipated a final decision on other successful bids to be made next spring.

The new complex could potentially increase the number of inpatients who could be treated at the hospital from 108 to 166, the trust said.

Its emergency department would also have capacity for 50 people - up from 16 at the current hospital.