Advice on replacing integrated washing machine

Hi there,

We have recently bought a house and it came with a fully integrated washer/dryer (Zanussi)

This is very temperamental and often stops working mid-cycle (major problem as I have a 15 month old using washable nappies)

I would like to replace the machine and having read through most of your washing machine advice I would prefer a free-standing washing machine only (ie not washer dryer).

My question is – if we remove the integrated machine, and cut away the section of plinth panel along the bottom, is there any reason why we couldn’t put a free standing machine in that space? The current machine is 590mm x 850mm.

Many thanks