Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL), is pleased to announce that a brand-new multi- storey car park (MSCP) is to be developed at its Freckleton Street site.
To aleviate the parking pressures experienced at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary (RAEI), WWL submitted an application for planning permission earlier in the Summer following public engagement sessions with the community. Feedback from residents and stakeholders on the design of the build, our plans and shared proposals was taken on board and planning permission was granted. Now, the WWL Board of Directors have also approved the plans, and building is set to begin in January 2025.
The new multi-storey car park, along with enhancements to other Trust car parks, will significantly improve overall car parking capacity at RAEI, providing 356 spaces within the MSCP for patients and visitors and 64 surface level car parking spaces for staff. The MSCP will also allow the Trust to improve blue badge parking at RAEI, with 21 additional blue badge patient and visitor spaces at the site, ensuring those with the greatest need are in the closest proximity to services where possible.
Further benefits also include improved flow into the site through the removal of barriers, leading to less queuing and congestion on Freckleton Street. As vehicles will spend less time circling the car park, as more spaces will be available, this will lead to less emissions in the area.
Mary Fleming, Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted that we can now begin work on this new development for our Trust. Car parking is an important part of our patient and visitor experience, and we recognise that struggling to park can be frustrating and worrying for our patients when they are attending our sites for a healthcare appointment. This initiative is part of a trust wide project, to provide a much more improved car parking solution for all. I would like to thank our community and residents who gave us some valuable feedback during the engagement period, and for their support during this period of improvement work. We are confident our staff, patients, visitors and local residents will be happy with the new build once completed.”
Work is expected to begin in January and will take approximately 12 months to complete. To reduce the impact of noise and disruption for local residents, WWL plans to maximise the use of offsite construction methods.
Replacement parking will be provided for staff who are currently allocated a parking space on the Freckleton Street surface car park within Wigan Town Centre at Mesnes Terrace and Water Street car parks. A shuttle bus service will also be provided to take staff to and from these car parks to the RAEI site.
For further information on the MSCP and FAQs on the development, visit our dedicated page.