Hospital parking: Is this the answer?

A £1.4 million programme of parking improvements creating an extra 209 spaces by the end of the summer has been announced at Warrington Hospital.
The work will see an additional storey of parking built over some of the existing car parking near the Guardian Street entrance to the hospital and the creation of an extra staff parking facility off site.
The plan, announced by North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust, is in three clear stages.
This month the Trust will begin using off site car parking provision for some of its staff thanks to a lease of 72 spaces from the Basfords car garage site on Guardian Street at the back of the hospital. These spaces will be for use by staff who work 9-5 at the hospital and will also free up space to allow the rest of the developments to take place.
Towards the end of the month the Trust will begin the demolition of the wings of the old North Lodge building at the rear of the hospital site. The building has most recently been used as a home for the hospital’s training department and is not fit for purpose anymore due to its age and structure.
Staff who used the building have been relocated to renovated office space in the old doctors’ residence buildings on the site. The demolition of North Lodge is expected to take 4-6 weeks to complete and visitors are likely to see some diversions on the hospital one way system at key points during the work for safety reasons. A structurally sound central section of North Lodge will, however, be retained.
Planning permission is being sought for the biggest development – a new deck of parking on top of the car parks at the rear of the site adjacent to the Croft Wing (maternity area) and the Guardian Street entrance. Subject to permission being granted, this facility will create 137 extra spaces. The extra storey can be constructed in just a matter of days thanks to it’s steel design which will minimise disruption. It is hoped that this will be built by the middle of next month, if the application is given the green light.
Chris Knights, the hospital’s business development director said: “We’re investing heavily in parking at the hospitals because we know it is a bugbear of many patients, visitors and our staff.
“When we survey patients, transport and parking at the hospitals is the single most important issue to the majority of people. They want to be able to get to the hospitals and park easily so they can get to their appointment or to visit relatives. We hope that these developments will go a long way towards meeting the ever increasing demand for parking.”
The trust is also working closely with Warrington Borough Council to strengthen public transport links to the hospital and is also looking at how it can introduce better drop-off points and even a possible taxi rank.
Details of hospital parking, public transport etc can be seen www.northcheshirehospitals.nhs.uk
Patients and public can also give your views on transport and ideas for better links via the chief executive’s “Parking Matters” weblog on the website.