NHS Highland’s current plans for new staff accommodation blocks next to National Treatment Centre - Highland site at Inverness Campus risk putting more strain on patient parking, a doctor has warned
Staff accommodation plans at Inverness Campus risk compromising patient parking availability at the National Treatment Centre - a doctor based at the site has warned.
Dr Lai-Yeung Ngai, who is an NHS Highland ophthalmologist based at the centre, was speaking as a member of the public in response to plans for new staff accommodation blocks to the north-west of the treatment facility and its car park.
If approved, the proposal by NHS Highland would result in two new three-storey buildings, providing accommodation for up to 100 trainee staff in a mix of 69 studio rooms, 36 cluster rooms (split between 12 flats) and five accessible studios.
The accommodation would be built in three phases, with the first providing residents' amenities on the ground floor (such as communal kitchen, lounge, laundry, TV and dining rooms), as well as the first 37 studios and two accessible studios.
The rest of the accommodation would follow in the following two phases.
But Dr Lai-Yeung Ngai has warned that the National Treatment Centre’s car park can already wind up full “on busy days” and warned that the new staff accommodation risks putting even more pressure on it.
They also cited the “woefully inadequate” car parking being proposed at the new accommodation, arguing that this will “undoubtedly” lead to overspill into that of the centre’s. Drawings of the layout for the new accommodation blocks show just 11 car parking spaces allocated for it - five of which would be for disabled motorists only.
A design statement submitted with the plan describes the reason for standard parking being “minimised” as being a way “to encourage residents to utilise greener forms of mobility”, citing the campus’ paths, cycle routes and public transport options.
But, submitting a comment to Highland Council’s planning team as part of the application’s public consultation period, Dr Lai-Yeung Nagi fears there is not enough parking provision and more is needed. They added: “The car park at the National Treatment Centre - Highland (NTC-H) will be compromised with a loss of spaces, with the building of access taking away spaces.
“In addition the car park for the new residences is woefully inadequate for the number of likely occupants who will the undoubtedly park in the NTC-H, leaving cars overnight.
“The NTC-H car park can be full on busy days with patients (who can be elderly, blind/poorly sighted, with poor mobility) not able to park closely to the NTC-H.
“Currently the NTC-H car park has no barriers or parking restrictions and I have seen members of the public park and walk their dogs. This further compromises the facilities at NTC-H.
“Further car parking spaces for the new residences should therefore be put into the planning to prevent over parking or forcing Staff and patients having to park elsewhere.”
Meanwhile, another NHS Highland doctor has voiced their support for the plans, but subject to suggesting a number of conditions - including that existing staff accommodation on the Raigmore site be upgraded “so it is still fully used by staff”.
In her own public comment submission to the planning portal, Dr Kristina Muir, who is consultant anaesthetist and volunteer chair of the active travel subgroup at NHS Highland, said: “I support a staff accommodation block being built on the UHI campus ground with the following conditions:
“1. That an active travel link is constructed between the UHI campus and the main entrance of Raigmore hospital prior to any planning consent being issued. I note that this was a condition of the original planning consent for the elective care centre but has not been delivered.
“2. That the current staff accommodation on the Raigmore site is upgraded so it is still fully used by staff, and that secure cycle parking is erected on its site.
“3. That green space is planned for around the proposed staff accommodation that encourages biodiversity, reduces flood risk and mitigates the CO2 produced during the construction phase.”
The application is still being considered by Highland Council.
Find out more about planning applications that affect you at the Public Notice Portal.
