PLANS to transform a derelict Valleys hospital into a state-of-the-art facility for mental health patients have been submitted to Caerphilly council.

Last September we reported how Abertillery Hospital, in Aberbeeg, will be turned into a 36-bed hospital to treat patients with mental disorders, learning disabilities and who are undergoing psychiatric rehabilitation - creating 150 jobs.

The St Luke’s Hospital Group, which has bought the 6.8-acre site, last week submitted a planning application to remove and replace the current roof, strip out and replace existing partition walls, erect a secure fence around the site and replace windows.

The group already runs a similar 36-bed hospital in Ebbw Vale and has promised to use local construction firms to carry out building work at the site, which is expected to open in the summer.

The hospital will employ 150 staff, including nurses, doctors, cleaners and chefs.

Its low-security wards will be locked and patients will only be allowed out into the community under staff supervision.

The majority of the patients will be from Gwent and none of them will be criminals in need of high security.

The medical director and chief executive of the St Luke’s Hospital Group held a public meeting to address any concerns last September, which was attended by around 30 residents who live nearby.