The idea of building a multi-storey car park at Daisy Hill Hospital has been “considered” – but the train of thought flatlined due to the critical costs involved.
Problematic parking at the Newry-based hospital is by no means a new diagnosis.
And residents living in the shadow of Daisy Hill have been left feeling positively sick – and tired – of an unenviable experience unfolding day and daily outside their homes.
The situation had prompted Newry and Armagh MLA Justin McNulty to press Health Minister Mike Nesbitt for a parking prescription to help put things right.
The SDLP man sought the Minister’s assessment of the “merits of building a multi-storey car park” for hospital staff.
And his reasoning was to “prevent overspill parking blocking access and parking for neighbouring houses”.
Minister Nesbitt explained that the aim of departmental policy on parking was to “ensure the effective provision of car parking across all of the Health Estate for patients, visitors and staff”.
To that end, by means of a swift referral, he explained decisions on how policy was applied was for each of the Health and Social Care Trusts to determine to “enable them to take local issues into account”.
Homing in directly on Daisy Hill, the Minister confirmed: “The Trust has considered the feasibility of adding multi-storey car parking. However, significant capital investment would be required to realise this project.”
While withholding the co-codamol-esque strength of multi-storey parking to ease residents’ pain, he detailed the disprin-light equivalent dispensed just two years past…
“The Southern HSC Trust has increased car parking provision adjacent to Daisy Hill Hospital, with the acquisition of the Monaghan Row site, which provides an additional 75 parking spaces and the creation of a 60 space car park on Clanrye Avenue,” said Mr Nesbitt.
But he added: “The Trust continues to develop options to help encourage a reduction in the demand for on site car parking.”
The update comes just eight months after Armagh I highlighted that an increase to the number of available parking spaces at Daisy Hill Hospital had been identified as a “capital priority”.
Figures last June revealed that Craigavon Area Hospital had more than four times the number of parking spaces for patients and visitors than Daisy Hill.
The latter had 75 “dedicated parking spaces” for staff – one more than that the 74 available at Craigavon.
But Craigavon Area Hospital boasted 2,082 spaces for patients and visitors, compared to the paltry 467 at Newry.
That too had been confirmed by the Minister in response to a written question.
And again, while the word ‘priority’ was used in relation to parking, it had been cited as being “subject to securing the required funding in the context of the severe funding pressures” facing the health and social care sector.
