This is Leicestershire --Work on a multi-storey car park to ease traffic congestion around the Leicester Royal Infirmary could be up to three years away, say health bosses.
Patients have been complaining for years about traffic backing up along Havelock Street as visitors try to get into the hospital's existing car park.
The University of Leicester Hospitals NHS Trust has had a long-held ambition of increasing parking capacity at the infirmary with a multi-storey car park. However, its head of estates and facilities this week said it was some way off achieving that.
Andrew Chatten was speaking at a public meeting to address concerns about parking at or around the infirmary, Leicester General and Glenfield Hospital.
He said: "We have a number of options. One of which would be looking at building a multi-storey car park.
"We are very keen on that. However, we could be 18 to 36 months away from achieving that."
Mr Chatten said the city council supported the idea of a multi-storey car park but he said its size would be determined by travel plan discussions held with the authority.
He also said the trust did not have the cash to build such a car park on its own.
He said: "We don't have £12 million or £14 million to spend on a multi-storey. We would look to do it with an investor, perhaps Interserve (the private firm which has a £300 million contract to manage NHS properties across the county).
Mr Chatten admitted parking was a frustration for both staff and patients at the trust's hospitals and he said the meeting, at Leicester General, had been set up so he and colleagues could get public feedback on the situation.
Information gathered will be used to put together an action plan next month to improve parking at the hospitals.
Kathleen Summerfield, chairman of the Syston and District Volunteer Centre, attended the meeting.
She said: "I hope it won't be another talking shop and that we do get some action.
"There have been proposals to build a multi-storey at the LRI for a long time yet it has not happened."
Other ideas suggested to trust officials included converting the car parks at the General and at Glenfield to pay-on-exit, rather than pay and display, and improving the three hospitals' links to the park-and-ride network. Reported by This is 1 day ago.