Please back our plans: Dorset County Hospital Director urges councillors to say yes to car park

Bosses at Dorset County Hospital are urging councillors to recognise the benefit of a new multi-storey car park for Dorchester.

If approved, the plans could make space for Dorset County to expand it's emergency department and intensive care unit - but Dorset Council planning officers have recommended the multi-storey car park is refused.

Planners say the appearance and conservation impact outweighs the public benefit.

The hospital says it's current emergency department was built to see 22,000 patients a year, but currently sees around 50,000 people.

Nick Johnson is the Director of Strategy, Transformation and Partnerships at the hospital. He said:

"Their judgement is that the impact doesn't outweigh the wider public benefit which for us is surprising given that this new car park, as well as addressing the parking challenges on the Dorchester Hospital site, creates the space and capacity to build a new ED and ICU and it secures the future of the hospital in Dorchester for a generation to come.

He says planners think the size of the multi-storey is too large, but that it needs to be to meet requirements.

"Before we can progress with expanding our clinical facilities we need to free up space on the hospital site by constructing that multi-storey car park and it needs to be of a certain size to replace the lost spaces as well as improving the parking for patients, visitors and staff."

"We're hopeful that the final decision is actually with the councillors on the planning committee. We're hopeful that the councillors will understand and acknowledge and recognise that wider public benefit."

"We'll either be pleased with their decision, or we'll have to go away and think about how we take this forward."

The North Area Planning Committee will meet on Tuesday 15th September to discuss the plans.