Hospital plan 'will increase traffic'

From the archive, first published Tuesday 26th Jun 2001.

Highways experts say plans for a new hospital at Oxford United's former ground would attract too much traffic into Headington.

Oxfordshire County Council is concerned that revised plans to relocate the Acland Hospital at the Manor could block roads in the already heavily congested area.

Developers Bellway Homes, Nuffield Hospitals and Oxford United submitted a second planning application in December last year after city councillors turned down their original plans.

In spite of Bellway reducing the number of flats on the site from 90 to 87, county highways officers said the renewed plans could still lead to congestion.

County council development control manager, Paul Staley, said: "We will be giving our comments to the city council planning committee, but we believe there is too much parking and as a consequence too much traffic coming into Headington. The developers have already reduced the parking numbers in the plans by 15 per cent, for 158 to 135."

The city council is waiting for the highways officers' conclusions to be made known to the city planning committee on July 4 before making a decision on the second application.

A spokesman for Nuffield Hospitals said they could not comment because of the impending meeting.