A specialist spinal injury hospital in Stanmore is planning to replace one of its main buildings in one of the clearest signs yet that its multi-million pound rebuild may be off the table.

The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital announced in January last year it had been given the green light for £110m rebuild on its site in Brockley Hill.

But a series of delays appeared to have thwarted the plans, and with the funding still not in place from the Government, the hospital has submitted plans for a major development within the hospital grounds.

Hospital chiefs want to demolish the Graham Hill Unit, named after the top racing driver who was once a patient at the hospital, and replace it with a brand new three-storey building.

The newly-named Ronald McDonald House, with up to 28 bedrooms, will accomodate families of children who are in hospital for rehabilitation, free of charge.

The rehabilitation treatment facilities currently housed in the Graham Hill Unit will be moved to another part of the hospital, and will likely end up in another new building on the sprawling site.

The original plans for the redevelopment, an ambition that has been repeatedly delayed over a number of years, was to knock down the majority of the buildings that make up the hospital and build a state-of-the-art centre.

Parts of the hospital are still housed in World War Two huts, and many of the buildings are more than 30 years old.

Although just last month the hospital reasserted its desire for the rebuild to go-ahead, saying it was “hopeful”, chief executive Rob Hurd expressed concern there may be further delays.

NHS London approved the hospital's outline redevelopment business case last July, but there has been little sign of progress since.

The plans for Ronald McDonald House, which is on greenbelt land within the existing hospital footprint, have been recommended for approval by Harrow Council planning officers.

A final decision is due to be made by councillors at a planning committee meeting on Wednesday, July 22, starting at 6.30pm.