The main car park at SWAH RMG80
THE Western Trust has applied for planning permission at South West Acute Hospital for a new car park. The site on the Irvinestown Road already has 978 car parking spaces, but The Trust has previously came under fire for introducing new car parking measures, and increasing charges.
The current planning permission application is for, ‘new carpark and realignment of existing parking area to create additional parking’, while a second application is for ‘additional 46 car parking spaces at four locations within the South West Acute Hospital.’
Previously it has been claimed that there are not enough spaces available at the hospital. South West Acute Hospital patients who are attending appointments at the hospital are advised to ‘allow time for parking, approximately 30 minutes.’ The Unison Trade Union has previously protested about the new parking measures and increased charges at the carpark, but has welcomed the news of a new carpark in the future.
A spokesman for the trade union said, “We have been asking for extra spaces in this hospital for some time. I am delighted if this is the case as I have stated all along that there are not enough spaces on this site.”
A spokesman for the Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) said:
“The Western Trust continues to closely monitor the car parking on the South West Acute Hospital site following the implementation of the car parking operational procedures in late 2016. The procedures have significantly helped in protecting the hospital’s blue light routes and disabled parking spaces.
The Trust’s demand capacity monitoring of the car parking on the hospital site shows that capacity on the site is broadly in line with demand. However, the site is busy at peak times and to support site users the Trust is currently scooping the potential to create additional parking spaces on site. Creating additional parking on the site will be subject to the availability of funding.”
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