Push for More Buses at Somerset Hospital Thwarted by Helipad Regulations

Plans to increase bus services at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton face challenges due to strict government regulations linked to the hospital’s helipad operations. Since opening in May 2010, the hospital’s helipad outside the A&E department has been a critical asset, allowing rapid air ambulance responses to emergencies in remote areas.

The Somerset Bus Partnership, working alongside Somerset Council, aims to boost bus frequency to the hospital to reduce road congestion and ease pressure on the busy multi-storey car park. However, Taunton campaigner David Northey highlighted at a recent virtual meeting of the council’s bus advisory board that national policies restrict how many buses can service areas near active helipads.

“Musgrove Park Hospital has been clear that because of national helicopter arrival and departure policies, there’s a limit on the number of buses allowed near the helipad,” Northey explained. “This seems unfair since these rules don’t similarly restrict the number of cars accessing the hospital.”

Currently, the hospital is served by regular buses from Taunton’s park and ride sites, and improvements have been made to facilitate passengers traveling from the west Somerset area via the town centre. But the Civil Aviation Authority’s revised 2024 guidance on helicopter landing areas imposes strict requirements around the hospital’s heliport zone. These include additional road markings such as red routes and no-waiting zones to deter stationary traffic—including buses—to ensure safety from aviation hazards like rotor down-wash.

The guidance states that such measures prevent vehicles from becoming obstacles or placing occupants in dangerous conditions when helicopters land and take off.

Northey and Somerset Bus Partnership members plan to meet with the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s estates team soon to explore alternatives that might allow more bus services without compromising patient safety. “This hospital is a key location, and we believe there may be options to increase bus links into that part of Taunton,” Northey said. “We want to work collaboratively to find viable solutions.”