Cardiff hospital's new bus station backed to boost safety

A new bus station will be built at the main entrance of Wales' biggest hospital to improve traffic flow.

The hub at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff will concentrate drop-offs and pick-ups in a single area.

Cardiff council's planning committee unanimously backed the plan, aimed at cutting car use and boosting safety.

However, some members raised concerns about the loss of open space and trees as the station will take over nearly a third of the site's Millennium Garden.

The new building will incorporate a waiting area, a coffee shop, and a 200-space bike store for hospital staff, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It will also include a new covered walkway, and a bridge and lift link to the multi-storey car park.

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board wants "to improve the flow of traffic around the site and improve the separation of buses, cars and pedestrians in the interest of highway safety", a report to the planning committee on Wednesday said.

Lyn Hudson, a Conservative councillor whose Heath ward includes the hospital, said she welcomed the proposals and had been "battling" for such a solution for a decade.

However, fellow Tory Mike Jones-Pritchard raised concerns about the "significant" loss of open space.

"The green aspect of the hospital is extremely important to patients and staff," he said.

Traffic problems have been a major headache for hospital bosses in recent years.

In 2017, the road layout on site was changed in a bid to prevent motorists using it as a "rat run" to avoid rush-hour congestion.

The same year, 75 members of hospital staff lost a court battle over fines for parking in unauthorised areas amid claims of a lack of space.