A new car park is set to be created at Fairfield Hospital to ease a chronic shortage of spaces leading to ‘widespread obstructive parking’.

Documents in support of a planning application to Bury Council said the lack of parking at the hospital compound has led to on-street parking, often on double yellow lines, which has ‘created problems for safe circulation and blue light access around the site’.

The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA), who operate the hospital, has submitted a retrospective application for the development of a temporary car park with 97 spaces. The site was formerly occupied by nurses’ accommodation buildings which were demolished in late 2023.

The accommodation buildings were no longer fit-for-purpose and had lain empty and disused for a number of years. The car park will be primarily allocated for hospital staff which the trust said will free up space for patients and visitors elsewhere on site.

A statement, in support of the plans, said: “The development is primarily to alleviate parking pressure at Fairfield Hospital providing much-needed additional staff parking provision within the hospital.

“Additionally, the increased capacity of health care facilities and hospital visits at Fairfield Hospital have added pressure to the limited car parking spaces within the existing hospital ground, which prompted the need for the development of a temporary car park.”

A transport assessment in support of the plans illustrated the parking pressures at the site despite the recent addition of 90 visitor spaces.

The report, said: “Demand for visitor parking currently outstrips supply. Parking surveys at in this location indicated that full occupancy is reached by 8.40am.

“Approximately 30 two-way movements were observed linked to individuals entering the car park and leaving due to being unable to find a vacant bay.

“At 8am the staff car park to the north of the site had three vacant spaces.

“The car park to the south was fully occupied.

“Observations taken later in this period and subsequently at 4pm to 5pm indicated that all staff car parks were at or near full capacity.

“Vehicles were located outside of marked bays within car parks.

“Widespread obstructive and non-compliant parking was observed around car park junctions, site access roads, or outside of marked bays.

“This has been identified as an ongoing issue by the NHS trust.”

Planners at Bury Council will now consider the application.