Sandwell car park plans refused for proposing too much parking

The planned car park would have had 1,323 spaces which the applicant said would ease congestion at a nearby hospital

Plans for a multi-storey car park and shops have been turned down for proposing too much parking.

The £80m scheme also included 201 apartments, bars and office space on land in Sandwell, near the new Midland Metropolitan University Hospital.

A 1,323 space car park was part of the scheme and the developer said it aimed to ease congestion at the hospital.

But councillors rejected it on the grounds the car park would be of little benefit to the community.

The application had been deferred twice by councillors over concerns about the amount of parking proposed, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Council officials said there was enough parking in the area

Sandwell Council's transport planning and highway departments all objected, saying the proposal would encourage car use and increase congestion, against national and local planning policy aimed at promoting sustainable travel.

The applicant, Metropolitan Holdings, argued the car park would not itself be a "traffic generator" and journeys would be on existing roads.

They cited other hospitals, such as Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Sandwell General, reported to have bad parking, to justify the number of spaces.

But the departments said there was no under-provision of parking at the hospital site.

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Councillor Peter Allen said the local authority did not want the car park: "It seems we've got a very large car park for a very small benefit to the community."

The planning committee unanimously refused the application.

Speaking after the meeting, Ismail Ahmad, managing director at Metropolitan Holdings, said his firm would be "seriously considering" appealing to the planning inspectorate and the secretary of state.