Parking restrictions introduced near hospital

Resident Robert Davies hopes the restrictions will become permanent

Temporary parking restrictions have been introduced on a residential street in Shrewsbury to stop staff and visitors of the nearby Royal Shrewsbury Hospital from using the area to park their vehicles.

From this week, road users cannot park on Somerby Drive at all, even if there are no double yellow lines.

It was introduced by Shropshire Council, which said it would hold a public consultation in 2026 to see whether people would like it made permanent.

A spokesperson for the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) said it was aware of the effect this had on the community and was encouraging staff, patients and contractors to use designated parking options.

"It's a busy road, serving The Redwoods Centre and the hospital, and we've been looking to get this sorted for quite some time," said local resident Robert Davies.

"People in wheelchairs can't get out because people are parking in front of the dropped kerb, and kids going to school are having to walk out from behind vehicles to get to the other side."

He said he hoped the restrictions would become permanent.

The restrictions are temporary, but a consultation will be held next year on whether to make them permanent

Deputy leader of Shropshire Council, Alex Wagner, admitted that the authority had not been "as quick as it should have been in acting".

He said enforcement officers were making sure people were adhering to the restrictions and added that the issue was due to the ongoing hospital transformation programme, which had seen construction reduce the number of parking spaces on site.

"We would love it if SaTH were clear with their staff and clear with their patients that it's not acceptable to leave your car on residential streets like that for days, or in some cases, longer at a time," he said.

Deputy leader of Shropshire Council, Alex Wagner, says the restrictions are being enforced by officers

"We also acknowledge that it's a public highway; it's our road, ultimately, they're not going to be able to enforce that, so we've had to take action."

The hospital trust added that it was encouraging people to use additional parking at the front of the site for contractors, as well as the Oxon park and ride service, which was free for staff and £1 for the public.

It said it was exploring additional off-site parking at land off Mytton Oak Road.

Councillor Chris Lemon sys he is concerned the restrictions on Somerby Drive will push people to park on streets in his ward

Green Party councillor Chris Lemon, who represents Radbrook, told the BBC that roads in his ward would be affected by parking being restricted on Somerby Drive.

He said the same parking measures could not be enforced in his area because the Bowbrook Meadows development had not yet been adopted by Shropshire Council.

"I would've liked to have seen the hospital introduce the park and ride system before the building work started," he said.

"I would like them to encourage their staff to use other ways to get in."