PLANS have been submitted for a new car park at Leighton Hospital after the demolition of former nurses' accommodation.

Mid Cheshire Hospitals wants to provide the extra 312-space parking facility to ease traffic problems after the loss of car parking space on the Smithy Lane entrance to the site next to A&E following a redevelopment.

The proposed car park will be mainly for staff and will also offer 20 dedicated disabled spaces along with 12 electrical vehicle charging slots.

In a planning brief to Cheshire East Council the hospital trust says the car park is part of an overall approach to the modernisation of the Leighton site, and initially will provide a "surplus of parking to ensure that current and future clinical proposals do not impact on the surrounding area by way of pushing parking away from the site".

Work is still ongoing taking down the outdated accommodation block on the eastern side of the medical complex, which is not part of the long-term redevelopment plans at the hospital.

In recent times they were used mainly as offices, while nurses requiring accommodation have been housed at the Apollo Buckingham Health Campus in Crewe.

After work on a new Emergency Department extension started earlier this year, hospital chiefs provided extra parking space, including 77 spaces on the maternity car park while staff car parking provision was extended to include 300 new spaces as an overflow for patients and visitors.

Part of the nurses block will be retained as on-site accommodation for on-call staff.

The car park plans are to be determined under the delegated powers of Cheshire East planners.