Health bosses urged to engage with Telford and Wrekin residents on hospital planning application

Health bosses at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust are being urged to engage with Telford and Wrekin residents on a planning application which describes how the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital will accommodate patients and visitors if Future Fit plans go ahead.

Planning documents submitted to Shropshire Council include a first look at a new building that will be used to treat the borough’s residents in an emergency as well as vital details around transport and how people across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and parts of mid-Wales will be expected to travel to and from the hospital.

Under Future Fit plans, Telford’s Princess Royal Hospital will lose its 24-hour Accident & Emergency and consultant-led care for women and children as emergency services move to Shrewsbury. Telford will become a centre for planned care.

A series of four face-to-face engagement sessions have been set up to help people understand the recent planning application. All of these are in Shrewsbury.

Leader of the council, Councillor Shaun Davies (Labour) said: “This is a planning application, not a debate about the principles of Future Fit, but there are important details in these planning documents that our residents need to understand and have the opportunity to comment on.

“In particular, people need to know that the expert view of the consultants who prepared the transport assessment is that “the private vehicle is the only realistic means of transport and access to the Royal Shrewsbury hospital, especially in an emergency.” 

Almost 1 in 5 people in Telford & Wrekin have no access to a private car or van.

Councillor Davies continued: “The suggestion that a free bus service connecting the hospitals in Telford and Shrewsbury is a welcome one, but the details of how this will operate are yet to be confirmed. The application highlights the complete lack of alternative public transport options, especially in the evening when many people will want to visit loved ones. 

“If you’re lucky enough to have your own car, there is a small increase in car parking spaces proposed – just 107 - despite the current carparks being stretched and the increase in visits that the hospital will need to accommodate.

“The key points of the 74 page travel assessment need to be explained clearly and the current plans for community engagement will not cut it.

“You can’t disregard the views of thousands of people who will be directly impacted by the application submitted.”

Councillor Davies has formally written to Louise Barnett, the Chief Executive of Shropshire’s two hospitals, to ask to see plans for how Telford and Wrekin’s residents will be helped to understand the key points in the planning application and how to register their views as part of the planning process.

The planning consultation is due to close on 7 August 2023 and determination of the application is scheduled for Thursday 5 October 2023.

Details of the planning application can be found on Shropshire Council’s planning portal.