Seven new operating theatres set for Oxford’s John Radcliffe hospital despite concerns over car parking

Oxford City Council planning committee members unanimously voted through the proposals for construction of the modular theatre building at the John Radcliffe in Headington on Tuesday (March 19) evening.

The development will be built on ‘car park one’ at the hospital which provides 127 visitor spaces, 20 disabled and five staff spaces.

Remaining visitor spaces will be provided elsewhere but there will be an overall reduction in staff car parking with a net loss of 136 spaces.

An objector, who spoke out at the meeting, was worried about an increased number of people needing to travel to the hospital.

He said: “This will exacerbate the housing crisis.

“It will increase the need to travel and poison us in our fair city with more traffic.”

Estate agent Carter Jonas had submitted the project plans on behalf of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to Oxford City Council.

The new-build will involve the building of a 7,541sqm modular theatre building with associated infrastructure, landscaping and parking.

Developers say the expansion will help fill the need for a new theatre building “urgently” required to address the growing number of patients waiting for routine elective surgery, and the “significant” waiting lists following the Covid pandemic.

Availability of parking at the hospital has previously been a point of contention.

Last year, there was an increase in cost of patients and visitors parking up to £2.20 from £1.40 for 30 minutes to one hour.

The reduction in staff car parking come after the revelation that Oxford’s NHS Trust raked in an additional £1m from parking charges in a year.

Concerns have also been raised that hospital staff may have to pick up the cost of a Workplace Parking Levy set to be introduced by the county council which would charge businesses and organisations for staff parking places.

The county council has emphasised that exemptions to the policy are yet to be discussed.

Two doctors who spoke out in favour of the application for a new modular theatre said: “We know that long waits for treatments can have significant impacts.

“We both feel that it is certainly needed.

“There are pressures on the NHS nationally.”