Work on a new hospital to replace “the Belford” in Fort William is expected to start in about five years time.
Local people have been campaigning for a new hospital in the Lochaber town for many years and NHS Highland has now said the Scottish Government has included the project in its capital plan.
A health board spokeswoman said: “The Scottish Government capital investment group has included a new-build replacement for the Belford Hospital in its capital plan and our current understanding is to aim for a possible start in 2019/20.
“This doesn’t mean that we have secured funding, but this is an important first step.
“An initial meeting was held on January 13 with a small ‘guiding group’ to discuss what work will need to take place and to start to set out the process for establishing and managing the various work-streams.”
She said these included the capital planning process, the clinical brief for the new hospital and project management.
A steering group will also need to be set up to oversee the project.
It is understood that the favoured location for the new hospital is the Blar Mhor site alongside the A830 Fort William to Mallaig road.
