Car parking boost for Pinderfields Hospital

Plans submitted by the Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust to Wakefield Council’s planning department have been approved and will see an additional 188 spaces being added. 

This will include 80 more spaces in the visitors area, 48 for the A&E parking area, 35 for the staff car park and 25 for the nursery car park. 

It will take the total number of spaces on the site from 1,603 to 1,791. 

No additional disabled spaces will be created, with 112 already in place.

The main entrances and exits to the existing car parks will be unaffected by the changes. 

The move will be welcomed with space already at a premium at the Aberford Road hospital, however, it is unlikely to fully resolve the ongoing parking issues.

The fight for parking spaces, particularly among staff, has been ongoing for years. 

Many had taken to parking along Aberford Road and Barnstone Vale after being unable to secure a permit, but following numerous complaints and questions over safety, Wakefield Council painted double yellow lines along the stretch of road.

An application was submitted in 2019 to create a temporary six-year car park that would provide an additional 700 spaces.

However, this was withdrawn because it did not form part of the car park strategy for the site.