Jo Gideon MP calls on Health Minister to confirm Government support for to build a multi-story car park at the Royal Stoke University Hospital.
Last week (February 23rd), Jo Gideon, the Member of Parliament for Stoke-on-Trent Central raised in the Chamber the need for reassurance of investment in NHS staff car parking facilities at the Royal Stoke University Hospital.
Gideon has been working with University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) to secure Government funding for relocated staff parking to unlock the re-development of the old Royal Infirmary Site – an exciting regeneration project for the city of Stoke, called project STAR.
The NHS stopped delivering clinical services from the old Royal Infirmary in 2012 when it relocated services to the Royal Stoke University Hospital. Since 2012 parts of the old site have continued to be used for staff car parking.
However, in 2014 the Trust secured outline planning permission to demolish dilapidated and disused buildings on the site and the development of up to 236 new homes and up to 500 square metres of retail space. Last year (2020), the Trust received the necessary funding to undertake the demolition work on the old Royal Infirmary site, and this is now proceeding at pace.
With the demolition of this unused site underway, hospital staff are in very real need for the UHNM Trust’s proposed plans for a multi-storey car park to come to fruition and the Trust needs capital funding to build this new facility.
Following Gideon’s question in the Chamber, the three MPs for Stoke-on-Trent and the MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme have written to the Minister of State for Health, Edward Argar.
Commenting, Stoke-on-Trent Central MP, Jo Gideon said:
“This is a worthy project providing much-needed investment for additional staff car parking facilities at the Royal Stoke University Hospital to support our wonderful NHS staff and unlock this hugely important regeneration project for Stoke-on-Trent. I am grateful to the Minister for his reassurance that the application for emergency funding for the car park has been received and is currently under review.”
Commenting, Lorraine Whitehead, Director of Estates, Facilities and PFI at UHNM Trust said:
“The redevelopment of the old Royal Infirmary site is a tremendously important project that will help transform this part of Stoke but we need to relocate NHS staff car parking from the old Royal Infirmary site before we can release the land for development. We are grateful to Jo Gideon for her support for this project and look forward to making progress in the near future."