COUNTY Hall bosses have ruled out letting hospital patients and visitors use its car parks even though they are virtually empty while the building is closed because of legionella.
The suggestion came from Green Party councillor Andrew Cross to relieve pressure on the car park at Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester after he witnessed people struggling to find spaces.
The busy hospital in Charles Hastings Way, managed by Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, is only a short walk away from the closed Worcestershire County Council HQ, via Worcester Woods Country Park.
These photos, taken on Thursday, show a rammed car park at Worcestershire Royal Hospital with almost every parking bay occupied.
In stark contrast, a photo taken at roughly the same time and on the same day show the almost empty car parks at County Hall, closed after legionella bacteria was found in the water.
It is not yet clear when County Hall will reopen with the popular Lakeview Cafe also shut.
Plans for the 850 space car park will go on show at the Lyppard Hub in Ankerage Green in Worcester on July 17 which some, including Warndon Parish Council chairman Lucy Hodgson, hope will relieve pressure on parking at the hospital.
In the meantime Cllr Cross, a Green Party city councillor for Leopard Hill and a county councillor for Warndon Parish, has asked Worcestershire County Council to open up the County Hall car park 'for hospital car parking (especially now County Hall is closed)'.
However, a spokesperson for Worcestershire County Council said: "While the main County Hall offices are temporarily not in use, the wider County Hall campus is very much open and operational. As a result, the car park is still needed for staff and visitors.”
Cllr Cross said: “There has been a significant problem of peak-time congestion on the hospital site for well over a year. City Cllr Katie Collier and I have several times witnessed drivers queueing for over an hour to leave. It is acknowledged that idling vehicles and traffic congestion adversely impact local air quality.
"I asked county council a few weeks ago to explore interim measures such as peak-time traffic lights at the roundabout between Newtown Road and Woodgreen Drive, to help people exit the hospital site. But that is only a sticking plaster. The main cause is people having to drive because bus service and cycling infrastructure here in Worcester are inadequate."
County Hall has remained closed since Friday, June 21 after legionella was found in the water.
Workers have struggled to access and maintain the water system because of ongoing issues with RAAC, the faulty concrete which is liable to collapse, which forced the closure of the second floor.
Paul Robinson, chief executive of Worcestershire County Council said of the closure in a statement, issued last month: “County Hall Offices which includes the Lakeview Café are closed today after sampling has returned a detection of legionella in parts of the water system.
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"As a precautionary measure, I have instructed staff to work from home or from an alternative venue, while further investigations take place.
"The impact on council services is minimal. Weddings and ceremonies will continue as planned as control measures have been put into place and all non urgent appointments will be rearranged."
We have approached Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust for a comment.
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