New Multi-Storey opens at Basildon Hospital
The impressive new multi-storey car park at Basildon University Hospital opened Tuesday 11 March and despite some minor delays experienced first thing Wednesday morning as staff and visitors get used to the new ticket system, the car park opened without a hitch.
Providing 1,600 spaces (700 more than at present) the new multi-storey car park has been built in response to calls from local people to improve parking at the hospital.
The multi-storey will house cars on four levels; ground plus three additional floors. Security has been placed centre stage in the car park’s design and the multi-storey has been accredited with the national ‘Park Mark’ standard, awarded by the Police to parking facilities that do all they can to ensure high levels of safety and security. Some key features include:
- Lighting levels well above the normal standard for car parks and particularly bright in public areas such as the stairways.
· All stairways have large glass panels so that people can see in and out.
· CCTV coverage of all the stairways, lifts (inside and out) entrances and exits.
· The car park is very open and built with a minimum of columns, to aid visibility.
Costing £8 million, the new car park is a massive investment for the Trust. To fund this, and the maintenance of the other car parks at Basildon and Orsett Hospitals, changes have been introduced to the parking charges for patients and visitors.
Parking at Basildon University Hospital is now free for the first 45 minutes. This will allow people time to drop off relatives and friends without being charged. People parking over 45 minutes up to a maximum of eight hours will be charged £3. There will be a £6 charge for parking over eight hours, so that the car park is not used by commuters.
Patients and visitors to Orsett Hospital will continue to pay £2 for however long they park, until later this year, when an incremental charging system will be introduced – with the same rates as at Basildon University Hospital.