Coleraine Hospital car park extension plan submitted as on-going problems are highlighted

The application was recently submitted to council’s planning portal and seeks permission for the extension of the existing car park to alleviate parking issues at the hospital on Newbridge Road in the town.

An accompanying Design and Access Statement says there is currently a “clear and persistent shortfall” in on-site car parking relative to operational requirements at the hospital.

“At peak times typically all formal spaces can regularly be occupied and parking demand significantly exceeds supply,” the statement added.

“This under-provision of spaces has resulted in obstructive and informal parking along internal access roads, verges and turning heads, and in locations not designed or marked for parking; risks to road safety and emergency access, including localised narrowing of carriageways, interference with visibility splays, and obstruction at junctions and service access points and conflict between vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

“These operational issues are directly related to the overall volume of vehicles generated by the hospital’s essential services, and the lack of existing on-site car parking to accommodate those vehicles during peak periods.”