Colchester Hospital has unveiled plans to build a new £2 million car park extension in a bid to help ease staff parking woes.

More than 100 staff car parking spaces were to be given over to patients using the new urgent treatment centre.

The centre replaced the walk-in centre at neighbouring North Colchester Healthcare Centre.

However, it created anger among staff who said their unsocial work hours meant it was impossible to get to work without driving.

Employee parking is already under strain with only about 1,000 designated places for 3,000 staff.

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Colchester Hospital, has applied to use 70 spaces at the Mill Road surgery until January.

But it has now announced it is preparing a planning application to provide an extra 140 spaces for staff.

The bid is for a single-storey deck car park on top of the lower half of an existing parking area.

The planning application is due to be submitted to Colchester Council next month and the trust anticipates it will take a month to build once permission is granted.

The trust said the car park will cost between £1.5 million and £2 million to build.

The Gazette asked if the trust has plans in place between the temporary car park ending on January 1 and the new car park being built, but the trust did not answer.

Fiona Sparrow, head of facilities at the trust, said: “We are always listening to staff and looking at ways of making parking at Colchester Hospital easier for everyone – patients, visitors and staff.

“This also includes promoting other travel schemes we have in place, such as the Park and Ride.”

People can give their feedback on the plans ahead of the application being submitted until 5pm tomorrow.

Any comments can be emailed to samhazell@lppartnership.co.uk or you can fill in a comments forms located at all entrances to the hospital as well as in Senses restaurant.