New hospital car park and access road approved

Plans for a new car park and access road at a West Yorkshire hospital have been approved.

Bradford Council has agreed plans for a new multi-storey car park and access road into Airedale Hospital, near Keighley, with work on the latter expected to begin before the end of the year.

Airedale Hospital is one of seven hospitals in England prioritised for a rebuild due to the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), which was found to be unstable and prone to collapsing.

Airedale NHS Trust chief executive Foluke Ajayi said the new car park would be "a key enabler" in helping create the space needed to build the new £1.5bn hospital.

According to plans, the new hospital building, will be built on a car park to the rear of the estate, which would allow existing services to continue running.

It is due to include 508 overnight beds and 73 day beds, all of which would be in single, private, en-suite rooms.

This is a slight increase from the existing hospital's 486 overnight beds and 63 day beds.

The trust said the new access road from Skipton Road into the hospital grounds would "improve traffic flow to and from the hospital".

"It will initially be used to keep construction traffic separate while building work takes place, and will then be used by staff, patients and visitors to the hospital when the hospital opens.

"There will also be clear routes for pedestrians to and from the hospital," it explained.

Work on the new multi-storey car park, which will be located in the southwest corner of the hospital grounds, is expected to start in spring 2027.

Plans for the car park were originally submitted last year, but were updated over the summer.

The trust said under the revised scheme, the size of the car park was reduced as it was "looking to offer more services in community settings, in line with the 10-year health plan".

Responding to plans being agreed, Ajayi said: "We understand how important parking is to our patients, visitors and staff.

"The new multi-storey car park, together with other on-site spaces, will ensure there is sufficient parking for everyone and make parking a much easier process."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.