Planning permission has been granted for a £42m multi-storey car park at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King’s Lynn, Norfolk.
The scheme will deliver a total of 1,383 parking spaces, replacing the existing car park at the hospital, which urgently requires improvement.
It will include 18 electric vehicle (EV) charging points, 98 blue badge spaces, and will involve the relocation of the current bus stop.
Work would take place in two phases, starting in late 2023, with completion expected in late 2025.
The multi-storey car park is part of a wider, long-term estate strategy for a new hospital that the trust is aiming to secure funding for, as the existing facility has already been operational for 10 years past its intended lifespan.
Fit for the future
To support the plans, the new car park is required to accommodate both short and long-term parking objectives.
A detailed transport strategy and travel plan has been developed by engineering consultancy, Hexa, along with core civil and structural guidance to ensure the scheme’s success at the planning stage.
Matt Price, director of transport planning at Hexa, said: “Having started working on smaller schemes with the hospital trust, and becoming involved with this car park scheme in 2021, it is great to see the planning application has been approved.
“It is a much-needed facility for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which will support the ambition for further improvements in future, including the trust’s bid for a completely-new hospital.”
Hexa was involved in a cross-discipline approach on the project providing expertise to support survey work, environmental works, GEO investigation, noise and air quality investigation, as well as habitat and ecology.
A long-term strategy
Price said: “One of the main challenges of this plan was ensuring the accurate calculation of not only the current car parking demands of the hospital, but also what it may require further down the line.
“It was key to consider the displacement of parking during construction, too, as the existing car park would be out of use for some time.
“We’re pleased our combined experience in the sector has supported QEH in getting this submission through and to develop a long-term strategy that will enable to provision of new facilities at the site.”
Consultancy, exi Group, was initially appointed to develop a car park strategy and a pre-outline business case (OBC) feasibility study for the facility and has gone on to provide a full multi-disciplinary service.
It has also collaborated closely with the Hexa team and other design team specialists across a range of disciplines.
Ben Flounders, director at exi Group, said: “This project has shown the benefits of collaboration and utilising specialised experts in key areas.
“Not only will this scheme act as an enabling project for the release of a key development zone for a future hospital, it will allow the hospital’s estates team to better manage and control onsite parking demand in the short term, while benefitting from the latest technology such as parking eye, Automatic Number Plate Recognition, and app-based payment methods.”