Cannock Chase Hospital gets more parking and a new access route

The district's hospital, off Brunswick Road, has seen its plans for more staff parking and an access route onto the A34 Stafford Road approved by planning chiefs.

The hospital will add 11 new parking spaces in total, while the Stafford Road access will only be for staff and will come from the south-west corner of the hospital site.

Councillor George Adamson, the leader of Cannock Chase District Council, said the plans were welcome and would hopefully alleviate some of the pressure on Brunswick Road.

"It will obviously be welcomed. Residents in Brunswick Road are concerned about the amount of parking that way so hopefully this will get them off that road.

"It definitely makes sense to have the Stafford Road access. Brunswick Road is congested at the best of times so this is an excellent idea to help relieve that."

Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, submitted the plans to Cannock Chase District Council.

A report, prepared by Dudley-based Central Design Consultants on behalf of the trust, said: "The site extends is located within the South-Western corner of the Cannock Chase Hospital site and currently comprises an un-surfaced vehicle turning and undefined car parking area.

"In addition there are two hinged barriers providing access to and from Stafford Road (A34), which are currently used (maximum once a month) by HGV’s delivering medical gas as a route to exit the site due to insufficient space on site to turn around and exit onto Brunswick Road.

"Since The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust has taken over the Cannock Chase Hospital site, it is apparent that the current onsite car parking provision leads to onsite congestion during peak periods/ staff shift changes due to the relatively restricted nature of the access road into the car parking areas, which is exacerbated when cars are entering an already full car park and find that they are joining the queue of vehicles attempting the leave the site.

"This application is to provide a controlled exit from the site which will enable the implementation of a one way traffic route for staff vehicles through the Western side of the hospital site."