Sheppey Community Hospital - work is underway to revamp the car park

by Emma Grove

Concerns have been raised about the amount of money being spent to revamp a hospital car park.

Earlier this month we reported how work to improve the land outside Sheppey Community Hospital is under way.

NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent, which runs the building in Plover Road, Minster, is spending £110,000 to put in another 25 parking spaces, more lighting and paths.

Our story prompted Bryan Wilson, of Admirals Walk, Halfway, to share his thoughts on how he feels it’s a lot of money to spend for so few extra spaces.

Parking at the site has long been a problem, with visitors regularly having to leave their vehicles on grass verges, which with regular use and bad weather have become churned up muddy slopes.

Mr Wilson, 74, said he thinks they would need at least 100 extra spaces to improve things and can’t understand why the money is going towards landscaping land which could be made into parking bays.

New spaces are being put in at the car park at Sheppey Community Hospital

“It seems a very grand sort of scheme for 25 spaces,” he said.

“People are amazed they are spending £110,000 and everybody I have spoken to, although we don’t understand the technical side, think it seems an extortionate amount and not value for money.”

Head of PCT estate development at NHS Kent and Medway, Andrea Benneyworth, said: “With this particular site we were restricted on the number of car parking spaces we could provide because of the space available and we have to include landscaping to help drainage.

“However, we are continually assessing the parking situation and looking at other solutions.”

The work is expected to be finished by the end of March.