Hospital extension and huge car park plans given the green light

PROPOSALS FOR an extension at Calderdale Royal Hospital and a new multi-storey car park have been given the goahead.

Councillors this week backed two key developments at a hospital site, which will allow a £196 million reconfiguration of health services in Halifax and Huddersfield to progress.

Calderdale Council’s Planning Committee gave outline approval to demolish an existing learning and development centre and building of a new purposebuilt clinical building, with associated access, parking and landscaping works at Calderdale Royal Hospital.

And they have given full approval for a new multistorey car park which will house around 800 parking spaces, also at Calderdale Royal’s site off Dryclough Lane, Halifax.

The overall aim of reconfiguration is to streamline clinical services at both hospitals, delivering benefits for all people across

Calderdale and Huddersfield, says applicant Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.

Councillors heard the multistorey car park would have to be built first.

Anna Basford, Director of Transformation and Partnerships at the Trust, said it would be implementing a park and ride service to alleviate parking issues while work was going on.

Ms Basford said she could give an assurance priority access would be for patients when considering car park management.

When councillors moved on to discuss the multi-storey car park application, Coun

Paul Bellenger was far from impressed with the design.

“My heart sunk when I saw that – it looks like a maximum security prison,” said Coun Bellenger (Lib-Dem, GreetlandStainland).

Planning Committee chair Coun Victoria Poritt (Lab, Elland) told the meeting: “There is no getting away from the fact it is a big building – it’s a multi-storey car park and there is only so many ways it can be considered to look anything but a multi-storey car park!” Officers said the number of spaces had been calculated to meet need as far as could be done. They also said nearby properties would not experience significant loss of daylight, highway concerns can be mitigated and the impact on air quality would be “negligible.” When balanced against public benefits from the development, the new buildings would be welldesigned and “clearly and demonstrably” outweigh the degree of harm which officers say will be done to the area’s heritage status.

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