PLANS for an extension to the John Radcliffe Hospital’s A&E department have been changed after bus companies and the county council raised concerns over potential access issues.

In an effort to ease the concerns and have the plans approved, Oxford University Hospitals has this month submitted a new transport statement detailing a number of changes to the proposals.

A bus layover area which was originally going to be removed will now instead be relocated, while additional storage for 40 bicycles will now also be provided on the site.

In its response to the application in September,.Oxfordshire County Council highlighted both points as potential issues which could worsen traffic congestion at the hospital and the surrounding area.

Amendments to the turning areas for buses have also been made following safety concerns raised by both Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach.

Both the county council and the bus companies had said they backed the proposals for the A&E expansion in the principle.

Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) is proposing to extend the existing two-storey building adding an additional 615m2 of floor area.

The larger facility will include additional bays to care for seriously ill patients, a paediatric resuscitation room and a further six ambulance spaces.

According to the transport statement no impact in terms of increased traffic on the local road network is expected.

OUH is expected to need an additional 40 staff to man the new A&E facility, which the trust says is needed to deal with growing patient numbers.

The planning application has so far garnered dozens of responses from residents on the Oxford City Council’s website with all of them giving their backing to the plans.

If given the go-ahead, the project is expected to completed by 2020.

A decision is expected to be made on the plans next month.