Health centre staff raise concerns over peak time traffic with Councillors

Staff concerns at the Lagan Valley Hospital Primary and Community Care Centre (PCCC) over “peak time” traffic coming to a “standstill” were put to the South Eastern Trust at a special council meeting of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has been slated by a DUP councillor over a lack of “ability and expertise” when it comes to Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) planning reports.

Lisburn North DUP Councillor Jonathan Craig said: “Why have traffic lights not been put up at the front entrance and exit at the Lagan Valley hospital when the new GP primary care extension was being built?

“Traffic at peak times is now at a standstill.

“This query is coming from the staff of the hospital, it is not coming from me. And they are deeply frustrated about the fact that nothing was actually done here.”

South Eastern Trust, director of performance, planning and informatics, Helen Moore responded: "This has been a subject of discussion before.

“Our assistant director for patient experience is responsible for carparking and he had attended a number of meetings about this over the years at the Lagan Valley site as a whole.

“Whenever the primary care centre was being planned for this was a query from the Trust on whether we would need to alter the road. But it was passed through at its planning permissions without change.

“Planning permission didn’t require the additional control of traffic lights. And we continue to meet with planning, the Trust and the DfI .

“DfI did agree to a survey last year, and they found at that time that the cars were not queuing on site for excessive periods of time to warrant remedial action.

“They were not supportive of the idea, because they were worried about the tailbacks on to the Lisburn Road and the whole infrastructure around Lisburn, being the main route from the A1 into the city centre.

"We will continue to highlight that there is concern from this council."