Demolitions have been approved for a handful of disused buildings at a city hospital after they were deemed to pose a "significant risk" to health. 

A boiler house, workshop, chemical store, generators, microbiology block, garage and 26 portacabins lie in the southwest corner of the wider Norwich Community Hospital complex in Bowthorpe Road.

Assessors who visited the site discovered these buildings contained high amounts of asbestos and were an "enhanced security and health and safety risk" due to frequent forced entries. 

Six buildings and a number of outbuildings will be demolishedSix buildings and a number of outbuildings will be demolished (Image: NCC)

Initial plans to fully demolish the blocks and associated outbuildings were submitted to Norwich City Council in May but concerns over safety measures meant it has only just been approved.

Property management firm Bidwells had to prove that asbestos would not be carried away from the site on HGV wheels, instead providing plans for tyre-washing, which satisfied the council's planning teams. 

READ MORE: Preparations under way to unify city estate... after 18 YEAR wait

However, it is currently unknown when the demolition work will take place, or over how long.

Additionally, a statement in the application read: "The buildings that are proposed for demolition are not to play any role in the proposals for the development of the wider Norwich Community Hospital site."

Asbestos was discovered in the buildings, posing a significant health riskAsbestos was discovered in the buildings, posing a significant health risk (Image: NCC)

This relates to the hospital's new £19.2m wing, The Willow Therapy Unit, which was recently given the green light. 

Once completed, it will introduce 48 new rehabilitation beds to help patients recover and leave the hospital more quickly. 

Funding for the two-ward scheme was secured last year, months before the planning application was submitted in December, with City Hall giving it the stamp of approval last month.