Permit scheme to curb parking outside super hospital

An independent inquiry has backed plans for parking permits in areas around Scotland's largest hospital.

Glasgow City Council proposed annual parking permits for streets around the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in a bid to safeguard residential spaces.

The annual charge would have been £700 for businesses and £50 for residents.

Despite objections, an inquiry backed the principle but said the annual charges should be set at £15 for residents and £210 for businesses.

Parking issues

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: "We're pleased the reporter has endorsed the principle behind the council's proposed Traffic Regulation Order.

"Officers will now consider his recommendations and report back to the council's executive committee in due course."

The £842m Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, which opened in April 2015, has about 3,800 on-site spaces but unions have claimed that this is not enough for staff.

Royal College of Nursing senior officer for Glasgow, Anne Thomson, said: "Car parking in and around the hospital has been an ongoing issue for patients, staff and visitors.

"For nurses working shifts, it's just not possible to use public transport to get to the hospital in time to start work at 7am or later at night to get home."

Since the hospital opened, more people have been parking in residential areas around the site.

Google Maps shows Renfrew Road near the hospital full of parked cars in June 2016

The same road is empty in June 2012 while the hospital is still under construction

Ms Thomson called on the council and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC) to "come up with solutions" and possibly look at purchasing or leasing nearby waste ground.

Glasgow City Council proposed introducing permits for streets around the hospital in a bid to tackle the issue.

After more than 4,000 objections were received, the council put its proposals to an independent inquiry earlier this year.

The inquiry report has now backed the principle of permits but recommended reductions in the scale of the charges.

NHS GGC said it had recently introduced measures "including parking wardens" to ensure that staff at the hospital do not "inappropriately park in spaces set aside for patients and visitors".

The health board added: "We recognise that inconsiderate parking on the streets outside our hospital sites causes disruption to our neighbours but unfortunately we have no authority to monitor parking spaces on public roads.

"There are no plans to increase the total number of car parking spaces on the campus."