Five new car parks set to be created at Royal Bolton Hospital to meet demand

Five new car parks are set to be created at Royal Bolton Hospital creating more than 280 additional spaces.

Long-standing pressures on parking for hospital workers could be eased if planning permission is granted to convert the five parcels of land on the Minerva Road site into temporary parking areas.

Planning documents lodged with Bolton Council this weeks reveal that Bolton NHS Foundation Trust have identified several areas on the site which could be converted for use by hospital staff.

A design and access statement in support of the plans, said: “The application proposes to change five parcels of land within the existing hospital site confines to temporary car parks, in order to increase parking availability within the hospital site.

“Parking at the hospital is at a premium and has been a long-standing issue that the hospital has sought to address.

“The temporary car parks will provide parking in the short term, while more permanent solutions to address the hospital’s parking pressures are prepared.”

What else do we know?

The plans also support the delivery of the recently approved Bolton College of Medical Sciences scheme, a huge new five-storey medical training centre to be built near the hospital.

A multi-storey car park is approved as part of that development and the planned new temporary parking areas will cover displaced parking arising from that project.

The plans intent to extend the Kitchener Way car park to create 162 new spaces.

Developing a grassed area next to the hospital education centre will create 23 spaces and extending the Ridgeway car park another 45.

Using land next to to Shawcross House will create 16 spaces and and developing an area at Carr Drive for additional parking will create 38 spaces.

All the new car parks will cater for disabled users.

The design statement added: “While there would be losses of landscaped areas, because of the proposals, this must be balanced in light of the resultant benefits.

“The proposals seek to provide car parking at the hospital site, where parking is at a premium and has been a long-standing issue.

“There is limited space available at the hospital site to provide new parking areas, but these proposals would result in new areas for vehicle parking while generally appearing as extensions to existing car parks.

“The proposals will provide significant economic, social and environmental benefits which must be afforded significant weight in favour of the application proposals.”

The plans will now be considered by Bolton Council.