Proposals have been submitted for a new ambulance station to replace the Stagecoach park and ride on Dunkeld Road, Hazel Grove. 

The proposed station will be operated by the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) NHS Trust. 

According to a planning document: "NWAS will be relocating from their existing premises at Travis Brow in Stockport, where the facilities are dated and inadequate". 

The document goes on to say that the new station is part of a move to increase efficiency, and improve facilities for staff and service delivery for the public.

NWAS confirm that the relocation will not adversely affect wait times. As a further statement reads: "The application site […] has benefits since it has existing access onto two major roads, which is an advantage in reducing response times from the station." 

The proposed project is in fact in two phases; phase one involves the aforementioned station as well as associated ambulance, staff, and visitor parking on the eastern end of the site. Phase one proposals are expected to be complete in 2024. 

Phase two would involve expanding the station and turning it into a 'hub', something which the planning document says would be impossible on the Travis Brow site, which is too spatially constrained. 

A plan showing phase one (pink) and phase two (orange). (Image from planning document)

The trust wants to pursue the more modern 'hub' model and the benefits it brings, including "modern facilities for staff and positive support for excellent patient care". 

A statement in the document reads: "The option to expand in the future to a hub facility provides the flexibility for NWAS to adapt its service delivery model going forward. […] 

"The Trust believes that this model will deliver best value for money and maximum efficiency. 

"The benefits of the 'hub' model are overall improved service quality and performance; and potential savings by reducing the estate, centralising medicines management, reducing pool vehicles, reducing backlog maintenance and reducing stock via better stock control." 

These phase two proposals will likely come forward around 2029. 

If the proposals go ahead, the demolished park and ride facility will not be replaced; the document argues that it is underused and not commercially viable.

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