New plan to add 250 car parking spaces at Bolton College of Medical Sciences

Plans to add a further 250 car parking spaces at the future Bolton College of Medical Sciences (BCMS) and the wider Royal Bolton Hospital site, have been submitted.This is an increase on the net gain of 159 spaces that would have been created under the original BCMS application.BCMS is a modern professional skills and training facility between the University of Bolton, Bolton College, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and Bolton Council, located at the Royal Bolton Hospital in Farnworth.Planning permission was granted for BCMS in June 2019, including a dedicated multi-storey car park.The new application proposes to replace the multi-storey car park of the original designs with surface parking, which was not viable in 2019.Under the new proposals, extra car parking for hospital staff will be provided from the outset, and at every stage of the development, including to cater for spaces which are displaced when construction work begins on BCMS, which is being built on the site of an existing surface car park within the Royal Bolton Hospital campus.Construction will lead to 140 hospital staff car parking spaces being displaced. But, before construction starts, stage one of a three-phase car parking improvement programme will see 281 new spaces, some temporary, provided elsewhere on site, by converting currently under-utilised land.In stages two and three, 250 spaces will be provided across the hospital. Of these extra spaces, 170 will be for BCMS users and the remaining 80 will be additional hospital staff and visitor car parking.The updated planning application for BCMS makes no other changes to the pre-approved, original plans beyond the nature of the parking provision. It is expected to go before Bolton Council’s planning committee in June.Subject to planning permission, completion of BCMS is expected by July 2024.