PARKING problems at Griffithstown County Hospital could be tackled with plans for a new car park lodged with the local authority.

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board is proposing a 36-space car park to help bring an end to parking woes at the Pontypool site.

While outpatient services at the hospital have expanded, car parking spaces have not, leading to the grounds being congested with vehicles.

The existing level of parking does not currently meet the demand the hospital generates, the health board says in its application.

“It is crucial the numbers of car parking spaces on the County site are expanded,” a planning statement says.

READ MORE:

“At present it is hazardous to try to drive around the County site due to the large number of illegally parked cars.”

It added that ambulances and delivery vehicles often had trouble manoeuvring around the grounds.

Planning documents say the issue has posed a”‘hazard” to pedestrians using the site and that it can delay “urgent responses”.

It has also led to illegal parking within surrounding residential streets.

Torfaen council took over parking enforcement duties from Gwent Police this month, with wardens clamping down on offences across the borough.

The proposed car park would be built on an area of grassland with trees to the boundaries.

It would result in the loss of green space, although the impact is thought to be “negligible” given landscaping elsewhere on the site.

Surrounding areas of the hospital are also not thought to be appropriate to accommodate more parking spaces.

Torfaen councillors are expected to decide the application in the coming weeks.