Oswestry hospital plans ‘overspill’ parking as work on solar scheme continues
Blocks of parking places at a busy Shropshire hospital were taken out of action this week as work was carried out to build solar-powered car ports.
Drivers were seen making laps of the full-to-the-brim car parks, stopping on verges and pavement areas at Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) near Oswestry.
Hospital chiefs at the NHS Foundation Trust at Gobowen ‘acknowledge’ the disruption as work runs until Christmas but say they have plans for ‘overspill’ spaces.
A spokesperson for the estates and facilities team at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) said: “We are delighted to have started work to install solar carports in a number of our patient and staff car parks.
“This is on the back of our first carports installed in one of our staff car parks last year, which have been very successful.
“The latest round of work, which has been made possible by funding from Great British Energy, will be going on in stages, with the installation in our patient car park due to be completed by Christmas.
“We acknowledge that the work will cause some disruption, but we plan to provide overspill patient car parking when required and will share more information about that when we get closer to that phase of the work in the coming weeks.”
The spokesperson added that by expanding solar power the trust “will reduce carbon emissions by approximately 230 tonnes annually, and save up to £300,000 a year".
“It also helps prepare us for the reduced reliance on imported electricity and the future transition from fossil fuel heating systems.”
Once work is finished drivers will be able to park underneath canopies with the panels on top.
