Swindon and Marlborough trust has been given planning permission for a replacement for Princess Margaret Hospital after deputy prime minister John Prescott decided not to call the plans in for a public inquiry. The private finance initiative-funded hospital will be built on a greenfield site on the edge of Swindon, and opponents claimed this would contravene government green belt and sustainable development policies. A consortium headed by Tarmac Special Projects now hopes to complete the hospital by 2002.