THE trust that runs Hull Royal Infirmary has released an image of how the hospital could look following a £7m makeover.

As previously reported in the Mail, the hospital's tower block in Anlaby Road, west Hull, has been enclosed in a safety net to protect the public from falling mosaic since February 2006.

Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said although an agreement on a final design has not yet been reached, a meeting with Hull City Council's planning committee is scheduled for later this month to discuss the facelift.

Work to repair the fabric of the crumbling building is expected to begin within the next two months, with the installation of the cladding starting early next year.

The trust said the whole project will take just over one year to complete.

David Haire, director of business development and strategy for the trust, said: "We know that Hull Royal Infirmary is an iconic building in the city and therefore people are very interested to know what it will eventually look like.

"While these are by no means final designs, they give an early impression of what the building may look like once we have finished the works."

Officials have had a pre-planning application meeting with the planning committee from Hull City Council.

The next meeting this month will be staged before a formal planning application is submitted for consideration by the planning committee.

Mr Haire said: "Members of the public sometimes ask why we don't just pull the building down and rebuild the infirmary.

"The simple answer is that the cost of doing so would be of such a significant scale it would be unrealistic to expect, particularly in the current economic climate, that level of funding being available.

"After very careful consideration, our agreed strategy is to invest in improvements within the main tower block to bring patient accommodation up to modern standards and prolong the lifespan of this building until such time as we can replace the accommodation within it."

Mr Haire said the colour treatment of the cladding, which will have a 30-year-plus life, is yet to be finalised.