Here are the biggest planning stories from the past week. 

Permission granted for 'abhorrent' smoking shelter to be built at Stoke-on-Trent hospital

Permission has been granted for a smoking and vaping shelter to be built at Harplands Hospital, Hilton Road (Nub News).

Permission has been granted for a smoking shelter to be erected outside a busy Stoke-on-Trent hospital. 

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust applied for permission in April to build a smoking and vaping shelter outside Harplands Hospital, Hilton Road. 

Despite objections, permission was granted on 12 June for the shelter to be built.

Brand-new £11 million car park coming to Newcastle town centre

Councillors have approved a planning application for a new car park in Newcastle town centre.

The new Castle Car Park – which will be accessed from Liverpool Road – is designed to be a replacement for the Midway car park, which will be demolished once the new one is completed.

It will provide 450 parking spaces and cost around £11 million to build.

Four-bedroom house complete with home gym to be built on vacant former Stoke pub site 

A four-bedroom house is set to be built on the former site of The Lightwood Tavern, Lightwood (Nub News).

A vacant former pub site in Stoke-on-Trent is set to be turned into housing with associated car parking and landscaping. 

The Lightwood Tavern, Lightwood, closed in 2018 and has since been demolished. 

Now, plans have been approved for a detached house to be built on the 1558 sq meter site. 

Plans to transform Grade II listed Stoke pottery factory into brand-new housing 

Plans have been submitted to transform a Grade II listed, vacant former pottery factory in Stoke-on-Trent into new housing with associated parking and landscaping. 

The applicant, Diwan Property Development, wants to convert the former Falcon Works factory, on Sturgess Street, Stoke, into eight new houses. 

As well as housing, the existing bottle kilns would be turned a space for cycle parking. 

Local high school to get huge extension to cope with rising pupil numbers 

Ormiston Meridian Academy, Sandon Road, Meir is set to get a huge extension due to rising pupil numbers (Nub News).

A Stoke-on-Trent high school is set to get a huge extension to facilitate rising pupil numbers in recent years.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council granted permission for the extension at Ormiston Meridian Academy, on Sandon Road, Meir, to go ahead this week.

The extension will include a new two-storey building connected to the existing detached canteen dining hub building, 2.1m high fencing, landscaping and five additional car parking spaces. 

READ MORE: Seven new jobs to apply for in and around Stoke this week 

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