200 space car park approved during construction of new Chesterfield mental health facility

The temporary parking facility will be located towards the north of Chesterfield Royal Hospital, Calow, and will include 186 spaces for construction workers and 33 spaces for staff, as a current car park will be out of use during the building period.

Chesterfield Borough Council’s Planning Committee approved the application by Derbyshire NHS Foundation Trust on the condition that it only be permitted for a period of two years.

Speaking in a meeting on Monday, January 9, Rachel Gray, who lives at nearby Grade II listed Plover Hill Farm, raised concerns about flooding that might result from the car park, stating there had been increased water run-off from the hospital in the ten years she had lived there as numerous construction projects were undertaken.

“It’s definitely something that’s worsened in the last few years since there’s been work at the hospital, that seems to be what the connection is,” she said.

Group leader for development management Paul Staniforth said most areas had seen an increase in flooding over the last decade as a result of climate change.

He added that while the parking bays were topped with Tarmac, the remainder of the car park would have a ‘permeable’ aggregate surface, meaning water can sink straight through it, and commented any resulting water run-off was likely to be ‘neutral’.

David Smith, agent acting on behalf of the trust, explained that the parking bays were surfaced with Tarmac to protect people’s cars during the winter months.

He said the mental health unit represented a £40million investment and once complete would replace the old Hartington Unit.

Work on the 54-bed mental health facility is expected to be complete in summer 2024, at which point the temporary car park site will be restored to its original greenfield state.

The replacement of the Hartington Unit at Chesterfield Royal Hospital with a brand new purpose-built facility has been given the go-ahead by planners in the town.

The new unit will see an increase in the number of beds on offer from 52 to 54, spread over three 18 bed wards.

The wards would consist of single rooms with ensuite bathroom facilities.