An end to parking problems at the Lister?

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1 E&NH0433 An end to parking problems at the Lister? Hospital s new 7.9 million multi-storey car park, which has some 500 public parking spaces nearly 65 of which alone are just for blue badge holders will open on Friday, 2 September 2011 Stevenage, UK 25 August 2011 The Lister s new 7.9 million multi-storey car park is set to open for public use from Friday, 2 September Built and run by the specialist parking firm, VINCI Park, the new facility will have nearly 500 visitor parking spaces of which 63 will be designated for blue badge holders alone. Another important change is the pay-on-exit system, which means that people are only charged for the time they use. Linked directly in to the main hospital, the outside weather conditions are no longer an issue for those parking their cars when coming to the Lister. Each of the building s five floors has CCTV cameras for added security and there is a 24-hour parking office on the ground floor. All the blue badge bays are located close to the lifts, with wheelchairs available nearby that can be released using a similar coin operated system to that used by many supermarkets. Add in an environmentally-friendly green wall, a silent turbine that generates 10% of the car park s electricity needs and a green plaza that has been created beside the car park, and the new facility offers patients, visitors and hospital staff a much more pleasant environment in which to leave their cars. Indeed the new car park should all but end the traditional and often stressful hunt for a parking space, even at the busiest times of the day.

2 2/An end to parking problems at the Lister? The Trust s chief executive, Nick Carver, said: While much of the focus on the Lister s transformation has been around investment in new clinical services, infrastructure developments such as our new car park are equally important. Indeed it is one of the most frequent issues that is raised with me year-on-year by many people. This is why I am delighted that the new car park has been built to schedule and budget by our partners, VINCI Park. Everyone our staff and patients have put up with a great deal of disruption over the last year. Once the new car park starts to be used from 2 September, I am confident that everyone will be very pleased with this important new development. The new green plaza that has been created between the car park and the Lister Surgicentre also provides the hospital with a real sense of arriving something that the old main entrance very much lacked. It also provides people with a pleasant place in which to relax in the open air especially in the warmer months. The plaza is also home to a piece of iconic sculpture that had been created out of a large oak tree that had to be felled to make way for the new car park. Work on the new 7.9 million car park, which is being built and will be run by the Trust s specialist independent sector partner, VINCI Park, began in September It has been designed to end many of the persistent parking issues that have caused frustration to patients and their visitors over the years. Once opened, the Lister will have some 1,650 parking spaces overall up from around 1,133 before the project commenced. The new car park will have 667 of those spaces on its own, comprising: 499 spaces for patients and visitors, of which 63 are designated bays for blue badge holders (doubling what was provided before); a staff parking area with spaces for 150 permit holders, along with 18 blue badge bays.

3 3/An end to parking problems at the Lister? The new car park has five floors, each having split decks that taken together create 11 levels in total. There will also be free parking for bicycles and motorbikes, as well as showering facilities for staff who cycle to work. VINCI Park s 24-hour parking office is also located on the ground floor. In developing its plans for the hospital s new car park, the Trust has looked to resolve many of the longer-standing issues that people raise when bringing their cars to the Lister. When it opens at the end of the summer, the car park s design will: All but end difficulties in finding parking at the hospital resulting in people no longer needing to circle car parks trying to find a space; Allow people to pay on exit, thus only paying for the time they use; Have payment machines that provide change and accept credit/debit cards; Help those with a blue badge find one of the 81 designated parking bays, all of which will be close to lifts for ease of access 63 of which are designated for patients and visitors; Ensure assistance is on hand for those who need it including wheelchairs for those who want them; See all parking and walkways, with the exception of the top floor, covered and protected from the elements at all times; Ensure that good lighting and security systems are always a priority; Provide plenty of free parking for motor cycles and bicycles, with changing rooms, lockers and showers on hand for staff; Make sure that the building has the latest green credentials, through having its own wind turbines, photo-voltaic solar panels and recharging points for electric vehicles. The car park s creation represents the third phase of the Trust s multi-million redevelopment of the Lister in to the main acute inpatient and emergency hospital for everyone living and working in east and north Hertfordshire, as well as parts of Bedfordshire.

4 4/An end to parking problems at the Lister? The first two phases of the Trust s Our changing hospitals programme are the 47 million Lister Surgicentre and the 16.4 million maternity expansion, which are on track to open before the end of September and October 2011 respectively. The new car park represents the Lister s third phase redevelopment. The Trust s 71.2 million outline business case to bring all the remaining inpatient and emergency services from the QEII to the Lister by 2014 was approved by the Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley on 4 August 2011 during a visit to the Stevenage hospital. Work of the first of these projects, the hospital s new 20 million emergency department, may start before the end of the year. -ends- Notes to editors Parking charges multi-storey car park (pay on exit system) 15 minutes drop-off/pick-up Free of charge 0-1 hours hours hours hours hours hours hours 7.10 The pay machines in the new car give change; payment can also be made by credit or debit card. Blue badge parking There is now a total of 81 blue badge spaces within the multi-storey car park, 63 of which are for the public, out of a total of 109 spaces across the Lister site (compared to 35 before the new car park was built). The spaces in the new car park are located on nearly all levels near the lifts with wheelchairs located close by to help provide easy access for those with mobility problems. Blue badge holders will also have to pay the standard hourly rate for parking at the Lister. Those using the small number of blue badge spaces available on a pay and display basis around the hospital site, will also need to pay the appropriate pay and display tariff.

5 5/An end to parking problems at the Lister? Notes to editors (contd.) Parking charges outside of multi-storey car park (pay and display system) There are some public pay and display parking spaces at the Lister, although the majority of these are for blue badge holders. This is because most public car parking is within the multistorey car park. Pay and display spaces are still available currently in front of the Lister s emergency department. The pay and display charges remain as those introduced in April Concessions For those patients and/or their carers who need to make very regular trips to the Trust s hospitals, a range of cost-effective concessionary parking tickets are available: Weekly 18 Monthly 20 Three-monthly 30 To find out more information on the availability of concessions, please speak to VINCI Park staff in the parking shop inside the multi-storey car park or contact the Trust s facilities team on Motorbike parking Fourteen free-of-charge motorbike parking spaces are available in the multi-storey car park. Bicycles Seventy six undercover bicycle racks are available within the multi-storey car park For more information, please call Peter Gibson, associate director for public affairs on: (direct line) or Sue Thaw, communications manager on: (direct line); for out-of-hours calls, please page the duty press officer on Follow the latest Trust developments on Twitter (@enherts) and Facebook