A Trowbridge councillor who objected to the parking provision for the town’s new £20 million integrated health hub is ‘still unhappy’ with the plans.
Wiltshire Council approved a reserved matters planning application for the new centre on Tuesday, October 15, subject to conditions.
But one Trowbridge councillor, who ‘called in’ the application because of concerns about the number of allocated parking spaces, says he is still unhappy.
Cllr Edward Kirk, the ward member for Adcroft, accused Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board of reneging on an agreement to provide more spaces.
He said he had agreed three years ago not to 'call in' the application, subject to sufficient parking being provided for both staff and visitors.
READ MORE: Latest plans for £20m health hub objected to in Trowbridge
Cllr Kirk fears that if sufficient parking is not provided on the site, both visitors and staff will park on nearby residential estate roads.
He said: “There’s a 100 staff in the Trowbridge Health Centre, that’s why there’s no staff parking for them.”
In its latest application, NHS Property Services reduced the number of parking spaces from 126 to 109, including 11 accessible parking bays, six with electrical vehicle charging points.
It sparked a row with Trowbridge town councillors who decided on Tuesday, August 13 to unanimously object to the plans, saying the proposals failed to address the requirement for staff parking.
After Wiltshire Council approved the plans, and following an NHS ICB presentation at their town development meeting on Tuesday, October 22, the town council decided to withdraw its previous comments and raise no objection.
It said that councillors who were originally concerned about the proposed development are now satisfied with the parking situation.
But Cllr Kirk says: “It doesn’t include me. I’m still not happy with it. There’s not enough parking. I wanted as many spaces as possible.”
NHS Property Services wants to build the 1,768 square metre integrated care centre at Hammersmith Fields in Seymour Road, Trowbridge.
The new centre will be built in front of the existing Trowbridge Health Centre and next to the Trowbridge Community Hospital.
To be built in two phases, it will have up to 30 consulting rooms to provide additional primary care capacity and enhanced primary care services alongside acute outreach and community services.
The reserved matters application follows a previous outline planning application previously approved and covers the centre’s appearance, landscaping, layout and scale.
An NHSPS spokesperson said: “This vitally important new facility will include 80 parking spaces for use by NHS colleagues, patients and visitors.
"The parking provision for the new site aligns with the approved outline scheme in terms of car parking spaces per consulting room.
"NHSPS will be installing ANPR on the site to ensure the appropriate use of the car park and will also implement a Green Travel Plan to promote sustainable travel to the site.
"We're keen to work with Cllr Kirk and local people to ensure the effective operation of the site.”
Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board has also been contacted for comment.
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