A NEW multi-storey car park is to be built at the Royal Bolton Hospital... but not all spaces will be for patients.

The new car park will be for the healthcare college in the grounds of the hospital.

A hospital spokesperson said: “Last year planning permission was given for an exciting project for Bolton College and University to build a Bolton College of Medical Sciences (BCMS) on the Royal Bolton Hospital site. This included a multi-storey car park.

“The college and multi-storey will be built on a current staff car park. In order to provide those parking spaces for staff, iFM Bolton, on behalf of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, is now applying to create new spaces on some unused areas on site and to demolish some unused old buildings to create others.”

The college is expected to open in 2022 with a nearby three-storey, 406-space car park.

Local ward councillor Sue Haworth said: “There are four new car parking areas being organised on the NHS site due to a car park at Barnes Drive being allocated for a new skills college that is welcomed by many people. The college displaces 237 car parking spaces. Upon completion of the skills college with a multi storey car park the ground and first floor will be available to staff and visitors to the hospital site.

“There is a need for a car parking plan even before the multi-storey is available. The four new car parking areas proposed on the NHS site are for 222 spaces. Bolton iFM company recently presented to the Council of Governors at a meeting I attended that they are seeking to improve car parking matters at the whole site.”

She added: “Separate to this is the residential roads near to the NHS site that the council is responsible for. Just this week I have heard from residents on Mount Pleasant Road and Avondale Road which are opposite Redgate Way off Plodder Lane who say visitors to the NHS site excessively park on their roads. There are bollards at Mount Pleasant Way. This is being raised at a time that residents living on the roads off Minerva Road towards Bradford Road like Kingsland Road and Greenland Road are saying that excessive parking there relating to the nearby school and the NHS site is not improving at all.”

“Many local residents with homes nearby want to look at any options there are to improve their streets and they want to be listened to about the daily problems they face. We need to look at quality car parking schemes in England that have improved the situation for people with homes on roads close to NHS hospital sites.”