Express & Star

Car park plan to ease clogged roads near Cannock Hospital

Hospital patients will be able to park on Cannock’s Civic Centre car park by next year as part of plans to stop surrounding roads being clogged up.

Published
Officials want to ease congested roads around Cannock Hospital

The Civic Centre car park will be expanded and two derelict bungalows demolished to create space for people using Cannock Hospital.

Council bosses said they were committed to pressing ahead with the scheme despite a lack of support from the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, which runs the hospital.

The car park is expected to have 132 public spaces and 144 spaces for council staff when the work is finished.

Currently there are 200 spaces at the car park.

Rates would be in line with other council car parks rather than the hospital, Cannock Chase District Council leader George Adamson said.

Filled

Planning permission for the scheme has been granted and Mr Adamson said he expected the car park to be up and running within 12 to 18 months and work to begin within ‘the next few months’.

Roads around the hospital are regularly filled with parked cars.

Mr Adamson said: “We are still going ahead with it and it will continue to be run by the council.

"The two bungalows have got to come down, they have been empty for years.

"The Royal Wolverhampton Trust had been quite keen to get involved with it but have gone very quiet on it.

“The hospital is being used more and more and we want people to be able to park close to the hospital.

"There is a smaller car park in the town but it is quite a trek.

“We want to get cars off the roads around the hospital, Brunswick Road is particularly bad. That is the aim.”

The car park plan was approved by planning bosses last year despite having earlier been thrown out over concerns money for the expansion could be better used elsewhere.