Plans for new multi-storey at Burnley General Hospital hinge on nearby temporary car park receiving green light

It will be provided for Burnley General if councillors approve the scheme on Thursday.The East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust has applied to Burnley Council for planning permission for the gravel-surfaced car park on the St Andrews Recreation Ground (also known as Rakehead Rec) until July 1, 2024.

They say it is needed while a new multi-storey car park is built for use by patients, visitors and staff.Residents in the nearby Hind Street have submitted five letters of objection to scheme on council-owned land.They say Rakehead Rec is an important part of the fabric of the local community which may be lost by further extensions by the hospital into open space.The objections also include that the site is a valued green space used by young children and elderly people and dog walkers; is a safe place to play where parents can watch their children; the loss of flora and fauna and vegetation removing habitat for bats, foxes, hedgehogs, butterflies, moths and insects; and concerns about flooding and land instability caused by a watercourse, mine shafts and tunnels under the recreation ground.Planning officer Janet Filbin recommends approval with five conditions including that the use should stop no later than the July 1, 2024.In a report to Burnley Council’s development control committee she says: “The applicant has supplied information to demonstrate how it seeks to achieve its goals for a new car park by July 2024.“It would need to be written into any agreement with the hospital that the land be put back to a grassed field.“The applicant reports there is an increased number of patients attending for elective cases which puts a strain on car parking for additional staff, patient and visitor numbers.“The applicant anticipates that problems with on-site car parking will be managed in the future by the development of a multi-storey car park within the hospital grounds.“In the short term however this would displace approximately 140 surface car park spaces.“It is accepted that a short term need for the parking of hospital staff is a concern for the delivery of hospital services.”