The University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust (UHD) submitted planning documents on 10 February 2026 to BCP Council proposing to widen the primary emergency entrance at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital in Bournemouth, Dorset. The proposal aims to improve safety for patients, staff and visitors who walk or cycle to the hospital by physically separating pedestrian and cycle routes from ambulance access.
Hospital officials say the measures are intended to address safety and congestion issues that have emerged since the site became the region’s principal emergency hub following the opening of the BEACH building (Births, Emergency and Critical care, Children’s Health) on 31 March 2025. The new building brought increased footfall and vehicle movements to the site, contributing to congestion in the front drop-off area, the planning documents say.
Under the submitted scheme, the hospital would create dedicated, segregated lanes for pedestrians and cyclists that are separated from the main route used by ambulances responding with blue lights. The plans—set out in the planning documents lodged with BCP Council—also include widening the road apron, adding signage and tactile paving, and providing marked waiting zones for cyclists to reduce conflicts with emergency vehicles. The Trust says the design aligns with national active-travel policy developments (the Department for Transport’s CWIS3 work on cycling and walking for 2025–2030).
According to the planning papers submitted to BCP Council, the project aims to reduce congestion and near‑miss incidents at the busy drop‑off. Local planning officers will now review the application and assess any impacts on surrounding roads. The Trust’s submission states a decision is expected by late spring 2026.
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