Car park 'cuts off city's link to country'

PLANS for a new car park at Edinburgh's largest hospital have run into opposition from an influential heritage group, which claims it will cut off the city centre's direct link to the countryside.

The 1,200-space facility at the Royal Infirmary is expected to be given the go-ahead by councillors this week.

But the Cockburn Association has objected to the plan, describing it as a "damaging application", and urged NHS Lothian to consider alternative options for accommodating car visitors to the ERI and the new Sick Kids hospital when it opens in 2013.

Health chiefs want to build the facility on farmland plots, which are part of the Bio Quarter, some distance from the hospital. The current car park – which strains daily to fit everyone in – will eventually house the new Sick Kids, forcing the health board to provide other options. And while planning chiefs have recommended the scheme for approval, even though it goes against the development plan, there are environmental concerns.

The Cockburn Association said a corridor of green, which runs from as far out as the Esk Valley all the way to the foot of the Royal Mile, would be cut in half, preventing wildlife access.

Director Marion Williams said: "The existing ERI creates a critical pinch point in this green finger with the housing at Greendykes. If this is narrowed further, it will simply cease to function as a wildlife corridor, and one of the joys of living in Edinburgh will be lost.

"Not only does the open stretch of countryside support recreational uses, including visual amenity, but it also creates a valuable wildlife corridor from Holyrood Park to open countryside, ensuring deer and other wild species can be occasionally sighted in the core of the city."

Other groups, including patients' representatives within the hospital, have objected to the plan on other grounds.

The distance from the new car park to the hospital is a recurring grievance, while others have criticised a lack of provision for bikes in an era where cycling is supposed to be encouraged.

However, council officials believe protests such as this are not sufficient to derail a scheme that is so vital to the working of two hospitals, which are supposed to be world leaders.

And while the Cockburn Association suggested building a large car park under the new Sick Kids, or a multi-storey similar to the Western General's new facility, the plan is expected to get the nod. Head of planning John Bury said: "While the car park is contrary to the development plan, the proposed development will facilitate an enhancement in healthcare for the wider city region . . . and is acceptable."