House demolition plan to create new car park at Calderdale Royal hospital

The proposals will see eight houses demolished next to the hospital and the creation of the new provision but it will only be for hospital staff.

The Dryclough Close site currently contains blocks of vacant houses which are in need of renovation.

They were used by hospital members of staff and visiting consultants from overseas.

However, replacement accommodation has now been provided within the new adjacent hospital and also at Huddersfield Infirmary, making the houses surplus to requirements to the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.

Farrar Bamforth Associated acting as the planning agents for the trust said the houses are now considered to be below acceptable accommodation standards and to renovate them to current standards would require significant resources which the Trust cannot justify.

"An alternative use for the site therefore needed to be found which would alleviate a more pressing need than renovating the houses.

"The existing tarmac area of the site which includes the access road and the former car parking spaces allocated to the houses are currently being used for hospital staff parking.

"While this arrangement goes a small way to alleviate the deficiency in staff parking spaces, it is nowhere near sufficient to fulfil the demand.

"It has therefore been decided by the trust that the optimum use for the site would be to demolish the houses and construct a purpose built staff car park."

If approved the site will consist of 73 spaces for staff members and free up space in the main car parks.

The current access to the development off Dryclough Lane will be retained as the entrance to the proposed car park.

The car park would work on a barrier system for entry and exit which will be activated by a staff parking card.