Royal Derby Hospital temporary car park and shuttle bus service approved

The car park and shuttle bus will be used by patients and visitors to the hospital

Plans for a car park and a shuttle bus service to serve the Royal Derby Hospital have been approved.

The 368-space car park and transport system at Kingsway Boulevard will be in place for up to two years while a new multi-storey is built at the hospital.

The bus would run every 20 minutes with the site operating from 08:00 BST to 18:00 seven days a week.

Councillor Martin Rawson from Derby City Council said: "It's not ideal but it's the most sensible solution."

People can also choose to walk to the hospital, which would take between 15 and 20 minutes.

Details around costs have not yet been disclosed.

The temporary car park and shuttle bus service will be situated off Kingsway Boulevard

The plans prompted 13 official objections from nearby residents, who raised issues around traffic, air pollution noise and litter.

In a statement, applicant University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust said construction of the multi-storey car park cannot commence until a temporary car park has been provided.

Ian Woodhead, development control manager at the council, said the site "comes with issues" and the junction modelling at Kingsway predicts the car park will "significantly add to the congestion problems" - particularly during peak times in weekday evenings.

But he added its location is possibly "the only option" to providing temporary car parking to allow the "much-needed" 850-space multi-storey car park to get off the ground.

Councillors on the planning committee suggested signs need to be installed to let people know how many spaces are available at the car park.

Mr Rawson, Labour and Co-operative councillor for Chaddesden West, said: "If the hospital trust does nothing then [parking] problems doesn't get resolved - we'd still have staff and patients displaced.

"I think this is probably the best way to deal with it."