Bradford Council gives green light to Airedale Hospital car park plans

Plans for a new multi-storey car park and access road at Airedale Hospital have been given the green light by Bradford Council, marking the start of the first major works for the new hospital.

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating the significant milestone, which will see the first development for the new hospital constructed on the site.

Work is expected to begin creating the new access road into the hospital grounds from Skipton Road before the end of the year. Construction of the multi-storey car park, which will be located in the southwest corner of the hospital grounds, is expected to start in spring 2027.

The car park design incorporates suggestions gathered from local people including larger bays, electric vehicle charging, bicycle spaces, and a laser cut visual design that reflects the surrounding nature of the hospital. The car park will also include on site security as well as CCTV and automatic number plate recognition.

The additional access road will 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

The planning application for the multi-storey car park was submitted last year and was updated in the summer. The new design is similar to the original, but the size of the car park has reduced as the Trust is looking to offer more services in community settings, in line with the ten-year Health Plan. This will mean there will be fewer patients coming to the main hospital site for their care, and therefore fewer car parking spaces will be needed.

‘Foluke Ajayi, chief executive of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust said: “We’re delighted that our plans to build a new multi-storey car park and access road have been well received, and that we have been granted full planning permission.

“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.

“The plans have been shaped by input received from our patients, local people and staff, which has helped us ensure we are creating a modern car park that meets the needs of all its users and is designed to complement the local landscape.

“The multi-storey car park is a key enabler for our new hospital, allowing us to free up the space needed to build our new hospital. It will be the first physical building on our site for the new hospital, and we are excited to begin work on it next year. Ahead of this we will be starting work on the new access road, which will help improve traffic flow and keep construction vehicles safely away from patients, visitors and staff.”

More information about the work taking place to build the new multi-storey car park and access road will be shared on the Trust website as the plans progress.