CALLS for the health trust to do something about staff parking in residential roads in Redditch by the Alexandra Hospital have received a positive response, says local Councillor Joe Baker.
A fortnight ago Coun Baker (Lab, Greenlands) organised a street meeting of residents off Woodrow South and challenged health chiefs to go along and listen to their concerns.
These ranged from drives and garages being blocked by parked cars and parking on double yellow lines in Woodrow and roads being dangerously narrowed by parked cars, including along Nine Days Lane.
Since contacting the trust the issue of parking at both the Alex and Worcestershire Royal has been raised at executive level by health chiefs.
In a newsletter to staff, deputy chief executive Paul Brennan said the parking situation at the hospitals would be the ‘top priority’ of the new director of estates and facilities at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Stephen Welch.
After outlining the staff parking problems at the Royal – where they have 1,000 staff parking places for 2,500 permit holders, Mr Brennan said: “Parking is also becoming increasingly tight at the Alexandra and Kidderminster.
“Complaints from our neighbours include staff and visitors causing congestion by using on-street parking in residential areas, sometimes in ways which cause access difficulties for locals.
“We were contacted recently by a local councillor in Redditch to raise concerns on behalf of his constituents about the problems they are facing on a daily basis.
While I accept the frustration that the current parking situation causes for many of you, we need to be clear that it is not an excuse for acting inconsiderately towards our neighbours in this way.”
He concluded with ‘solutions were being developed’.
Coun Baker said: “I think this is a good result. The next step is to sit down with hospital bosses and come up with some solutions, working together so it helps staff and visitors.
“For the last two years we’ve been putting pressure on the hospital’s management with petitions and meetings and hopefully they can come forward with something that will benefit everyone.”
