The full business case for a new multi-storey car park (MSCP) at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn (QEH) last week received sign-off from the Joint Investment Committee of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England.
Approval of the full business case confirms the project can proceed into delivery and that it offers value for money.
Building of the MSCP will begin soon. Preparation work began earlier this year with the creation of a new bus stop; to relocate the current stop closer to the site entrance, which will be open from Tuesday 26 May. Preparation of the site for the main works will begin in early June, with construction of the MSCP building starting at the end of July.
The MSCP will free up the land needed so the new hospital can be built on the current main car park.
Designed to be future proofed the MSCP will offer 1,335 across six parking levels. The car park has been designed to offer larger spaces to accommodate modern cars and two-lane exit with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) for fast flow in and out. Payment for the car park will be on exit for patients with smart signage to show where space availability is.
Natalie Forrest, Chief Programme Officer, New Hospital Programme, said: “The approval of the multi-storey car park business case is an important milestone for The QEH and a significant step towards delivering a modern, sustainable new hospital for patients, staff and the local community. The car park is a critical enabling project, creating the space needed for construction of the new hospital to begin while improving the experience for patients and visitors in the years ahead.”
Peter Cox, Project Director – New QEH, said: “This approval is excellent news for our patients and our programme, giving us the green light to move ahead with our multi-storey car park, a key step towards our new hospital.
“I’m incredibly proud of the New QEH team. They have delivered a scheme that not only meets the needs of our local hospital but has also set the standard nationally for future hospital car parks. That is a real achievement for everyone involved.”
Josie Baldry, Senior Project Manager – New QEH, said: “With this approval our contractor can continue with the excellent progress being made to ensure we are ready to put spades in the ground for our new car park. The progress made so far with the relocation of the bus stop is fantastic and I look forward to us starting on the main building.”
As a Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) hospital, The QEH has been prioritised by the government to be rebuilt by the Governments New Hospital Programme. The James Paget University Hospitals (JPUH) is also part of the programme and is progressing plans for a new hospital in Gorleston.
Both schemes for the new hospitals have recently been brought together in a single, unified Norfolk and Waveney University Hospital’s Group programme. This will improve oversight and ensure that both state-of-the-art new hospitals are planned and designed to meet the needs of their populations.
For updates on progress of the MSCP visit www.newqeh.org.uk.
Ends. Notes to editors; For media enquiries only, please contact Communications Team, media.enquiries@qehkl.nhs.uk or 01553 613216. For all other enquiries, please contact QEH Switchboard on 01553 613613.
QEH Media Hub 