THE new Southern General superhospital will cost £842million, it was revealed for the first time today.

THE new Southern General superhospital will cost £842million, it was revealed for the first time today.

The new health "village" will be fully funded by taxpayers' money.

Health chiefs propose to snub the private sector by getting the Scottish Government to foot the bill for both hospitals - one for adults and the other for children - at the existing Southern General site in Govan.

The move follows controversy over the use of private sector funding for public sector projects such as the Labour-approved PFI initiative for Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride.

The SNP is known to favour the setting up of not-for-profit trusts.

Today the Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board were expected to give the go-ahead to the business plan for the development which will be sent to the Scottish Government.

Glasgow's health chiefs want to open a major laboratory, a new 1109-bed adult hospital and a 240-bed children's hospital by the end of 2013.

A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde today said: "Having already achieved outline planning permission from Glasgow City Council, NHSGGC is now required to submit a case to the Scottish Government that demonstrates affordability and value for money to the taxpayer.

"The outline business case recommends traditional procurement - fully publicly funded - as the board's preferred option."

The case for taxpayers' money will be put to government ministers for their approval.

The blueprint for Govan is part of a shake-up of hospital services across Glasgow. It will bring to an end acute services at the Western Infirmary and at Yorkhill, while acute services at Stobhill Hospital and the Victoria Infirmary will also be transferred to Govan.

Health bosses plan to cut the city's six adult inpatient acute emergency sites to three at the Royal Infirmary, Gartnavel and the new South Glasgow hospitals "to realise efficiencies and better value to the public purse."

Overheads will be slashed and there will be an unspecified cut in the numbers of nurses over the next six years. The health board says other major savings can be made.

A spokeswoman said: "For instance, consultant and junior doctors' rotas will become less onerous and therefore more cost-effective."

Chief executive Tom Divers said: "This is an exciting time on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the NHS to be taking forwards plans to create a showpiece major hospital development in the heart of Glasgow. This outline business case is a key milestone in realising that ambition.

"Getting to this stage in delivering this ambitious project is testament to our clinical teams, health planners and finance colleagues."

The change in hospital services in Glasgow will cost around £1.2billion in all. A purpose-designed Stobhill Hospital due to open next year is costing £100m while £100m is being spent on a new Victoria Hospital.