New car park in 2026, says hospital after feedback

Drivers have complained of traffic queues at Royal Bournemouth Hospital car park

A hospital criticised for its parking provision during a major building project says its new car park is hoped to be ready by summer 2026.

Visitors and outpatients to Royal Bournemouth Hospital (RBH) have complained of traffic queues, a lack of parking spaces and poor lighting.

There are currently 412 public parking places at the hospital. The new car park would provide an additional 150.

University Hospitals Dorset said it was working in the meantime to free up areas occupied by its contractors as they moved off the site, including a "large amount" of blue badge spaces by the outpatients department.

The trust has been holding drop-in events about changes to hospital services in Poole and Bournemouth which are undergoing a major transformation.

It said it received feedback through its Patient Advice and Liaison Service and Patient Experience team.

It said the new visitor car park would provide a minimum of 20 new blue badge spaces.

A spokesperson said: "We appreciate how frustrating it can be when you can't find a parking space, especially when it is urgently needed."

According to its 2019 outline planning application to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP), the site previously had 666 spaces for patients and visitors and the forecast demand after the reorganisation was 581.

A spokesperson said: "The trust requires planning approval to create additional parking spaces and is subject to local authority restrictions as to how much parking can be provided on site.

"Much of the surrounding land is field and grassland so we work closely with the BCP planning and sustainability teams to explore options for additional car parking space."

The trust said demand for parking at RBH would fall as more outpatient appointments were moved to Poole and it was exploring whether more patients could be seen virtually or in the community.