PLANS to solve a car parking shortage at the Friarage Hospital should be given the go-ahead next week, council planning officers have said.

They have recommended that a proposed 82-space car park on part of the Bullamoor Memorial Park, in Northallerton, should be approved.

The extra car parking is needed because of the £18m redevelopment of the hospital, which started in January. Construction work has seen the loss of 50 staff spaces.

Northallerton town councillors turned down an earlier request from South Tees NHS Trust to use the site, but an agreement was reached following a series of meetings.

The plans would see the hardstanding area at the north end of the memorial park extended to provide the spaces.

It would have a lockable, manually operated barrier and be separated from the rest of the park by a series of perimeter bollards.

The car park would be reached from Forest Road and be used Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm.

The site would be returned to its former condition in the summer of 2006, when the development work is completed.

Project manager Ian Roberts said: "We are effectively losing 50 spaces on the hospital site as the redevelopment works takes place, and as part of the planning approval we need to adequately provide these off-site.

"We have had some queries about the temporary car parking. It will be designated for hospital staff holding a car park permit and it is not planned that this would be an external pay and display area.

"Our building contractor is also negotiating access to an existing car park in Darlington Road to keep the number of contractors vehicles on the site to the absolute minimum."

South Tees NHS Trust has submitted a draft travel plan to the council to try to reduce the number of staff driving to work. It recommends that cycle lockers be installed, a car sharing scheme be implemented and a continual monitoring of car parking.

The trust has also formed a transport working group to raise awareness of green travel issues and conducted a staff travel survey.

Hambleton district councillors will consider the plans on Thursday.