Green light for Royal Derby temporary car park despite concerns over more Kingsway traffic
PLANS for a temporary car park and shuttle bus service to the Royal Derby Hospital have been given the go-ahead by city planners despite concerns that it could make already notorious traffic problems in the Kingsway area even worse.
The car park is needed while work begins on building a new multistorey car park on existing car park six in the hospital’s grounds.
The 368-place temporary car park, in use for up to two years, will be sited in Kingsway Boulevard and served by a shuttle bus to take patients to the hospital every 20 minutes from 8am to 6pm, seven days a week. People can also walk to the hospital from the car park, which will take up to 20 minutes.
The temporary car park proposed is close to the A5111 Kingsway roundabout which is the main junction serving the nearby Kingsway Retail Park and Manor Kingsway housing development.
Problems with severe traffic congestion at this spot have been well documented for years and senior council officers had already acknowledged that traffic problems at Kingsway roundabout could get worse if the plans were approved in response to the application.
At Thursday’ Derby planning control committee, councillors also expressed their concerns.
Councillor Sue Bonser. Labour Abbey ward councillor, said she realised that it was a necessary step that had to be taken. She asked if people could be warned ahead of trying to park so that they did not waste time driving down to the car park if it was full to stop disruption for local people. City council development control manager Ian Woodhead said he would look into the possibility.
Councillor Lucy Care, Lib Dem councillor for Littleover, also said she had concerns about putting more traffic into the area and causing congestion and disruption.
Councillor Martin Rawson, Labour and Co-operative councillor for Chaddesden West, said the situation was “far from ideal” but that it seemed “the most sensible solution”. He added that doing nothing and letting people park where they want would not resolve the situation.
Councillor Matthew Holmes, Conservative councillor for Mickleover, asked that construction of the new car park could be done as quickly as possible and also reminded everyone that a major £250 million A38 project was still planned for the area at some point in the future, although currently subject to a court hearing next month by protesters.
The council had received 13 objections to the plan concerning traffic and pollution but there were no public speakers during the item’s discussion at the meeting. Mr Woodhead said that in response to the public objections, the plan had been amended to put the entrance to the car park onto Kingsway Boulevard and not Anmer Drive as originally proposed.
He said that there would be conditions imposed on the application addressing concerns that had been raised. Mr Woodhead said: “In my opinion it is the most sensible short-term solution. It is the most appropriate temporary solution to serve the hospital.”
The new five-storey car park will offer almost 900 spaces at the Royal Derby Hospital. Planning permission was secured from Derby City Council for the new multi-storey car park in April last year. The car park will have 875 spaces and will be primarily for visitors and patients.
The application for the temporary car park while it is being built was approved unanimously after a vote.