Councillors voted unanimously on Tuesday night to make a submission to the panel indicating its support for the proposa,l which will include a new 25-bed surgical ward, alterations to incorporate an intensive care unit and a chemotherapy ward.

The project would also include the demolition of some houses to accommodate 28 additional car parking spaces.

The application has been referred to the planning panel because the proposed cost of the development is more than $5million. The proposal, if approved, will result in 172 hospital beds on site.

Councillors had little debate on the matter, which was moved by Cr Peter Garnham. He said council had always known that the private hospital, on the corner of Chisholm Road and the New England Highway at East Maitland, would continue to grow.

Cr Arch Humphery said the application was an indication of the demand for health services in the Maitland area. He said there had been difficulty developing the facility in the past due to some site constraints.

Fairfax Media reported in May that Maitland Private Hospital was to receive a $25 million upgrade that would include an intensive care unit and a chemotherapy suite, two theatres and associated services, a new 24-bed ward and more parking. The upgrade is expected to create 50 more jobs in the hospital.

The announcement came after Healthe Care, the company that owns the hospital, was sold to China’s Luye Medical Group. Healthe Care CEO Steve Atkins said the upgrade would make chemotherapy and intensive care more accessible for people in Maitland and the Upper Hunter. The addition is part of a wider cancer project at the hospital.

Mr Atkins told Fairfax Media in May the plan was to acquire houses behind the hospital to transform into a cancer institute. “We’re keen to develop a more comprehensive cancer service, which we’re really excited about,” he said.