Extra parking plan to go ahead at Sunderland Royal Hospital - unused sexual health building to be demolished

Earlier this year, plans were lodged for a building on the Sunderland Royal Hospital site off Chester Road.

For many years, the hub housed Genitourinary Medicine (GUM) services which include the screening, diagnosis and management of sexually transmitted infections.

However, the building has been vacant since December 2019 after staff moved to a new site within the hospital estate.

Health bosses have previously said the GUM building is “no longer required” due to sexual health services being relocated to new, improved facilities at Chester Lodge.

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust’s Director of Planning and Business Development, Peter Sutton, said in March: “We clearly recognise the current pressures on car parking and the demolition of the building will give us the opportunity to provide extra parking spaces in the future.”

Following consultation, Sunderland City Council’s planning authority approved the plans on March 25.

Under planning conditions, work must take place within the next three years.

It is not yet clear when work will get underway, particularly in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

The shake-up is expected to create an extra 37 spaces on the site, increasing the number of on-site parking bays from 160 to 197.

Parking at the hospital has been a hot topic for more than a decade, with various schemes and extra spaces being brought in over the years to help ease demand.

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