A NEW multi-storey car park could be built at Musgrove Park Hospital.

NHS Somerset has submitted a planning application to Somerset Council for a decked car park on the current Duchess 2 parking area.

The new car park would replace the current parking at the hospital, which is set to be lost during redevelopment work in the coming years.

If approved, the new car park would see an overall increase of 13 spaces at the Taunton site.

The application said pre-planning work on the redevelopment of the hospital site as part of a £370 million project identified the current parking provision would be lost.

The new car park would have three levels

It said “all potential future site redevelopment options will require the construction of a new decked car park in facilitating future redevelopment”.

“The preferred option is the three-deck car park delivering 307 spaces, along with 48 surface spaces
reinstated within the site application boundary, thereby delivering a total of 355 spaces,” the application said.

“Overall, and including the outstanding 140 car parking spaces required associated with the Surgical Centre planning application, there will be a net increase of 13 car parking spaces.”

It said the proposed scheme would also allow opportunity for demolitions and development of additional parking capacity if the number of parking spaces were insufficient by 2030.

“In summary, a flexible phased approach is adopted, that re-provides some capacity in a decked car park and can provide additional spaces at grade level at a later stage if required,” the plan added.

The planned location of the new car park at Musgrove Park Hospital