A consultation on the relocation proposals is being held between 19 January and 29 March.

Matthew Coats, chief executive of West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: ‘Expanding the Watford General scheme to include Mount Vernon Cancer Centre would be a major step forward in delivering both a world class cancer centre and a state-of-the-art hospital, which would benefit patients, our communities and our brilliant staff.'

Construction of Watford General Hospital within the New Hospital Programme is currently paused although work is underway on a £12m programme of enabling works.

It has been estimated that relocation of Mount Vernon Cancer Centre would cost around £400m.

Under the co-location proposals management of the services provided by Mount Vernon Cancer Centre would transfer from East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust to University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.