Hospital park and ride scheme would run at £140,000 deficit per year, study finds
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The feasibility study examining the potential for a park-and-ride scheme to Barnsley Hospital has revealed significant financial and operational challenges, prompting the consultant to recommend further investigations before proceeding.
The proposals for the scheme included a dedicated car park with buses transporting staff and patients to and from the hospital.
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Hide AdResidents, staff and visitors have long complained about the lack of parking spaces around the hospital, prompting Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council to look into ways to alleviate the issue.


However, the study concluded that the scheme would operate at a substantial deficit, which the council does not have the cash to fund.
Annual operating costs are estimated at £275,000 against projected revenues of just £128,000.
Commissioned by the overview and scrutiny committee, the study found that the potential capital costs associated with buying land and building a car park would be between three and ten million pounds.
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Hide AdBarnsley Council says it has no cash to finance the project, and run it at an estimated deficit of £140,000 per year.
A facility estimated at the lower end of the scale would need 540 trips a day to break even.
The study also found that a single site may not attract sufficient patronage to be sustainable, and proposed that at least two park-and-ride locations would be necessary to serve the travel patterns of hospital staff and visitors.
The report also highlights that 11 bus routes currently operate to or near the hospital, but these services have been experiencing low patronage. It concludes that it is “unlikely” passengers would switch to a new park-and-ride route, further complicating the feasibility of the proposed scheme.
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Hide AdIt also underscored the impact of the upcoming Health on the High Street project, which will relocate some outpatient services to the Alhambra shopping centre, which is in turn expected to decrease demand for hospital parking.
The report will be discussed by the overview and scrutiny board at the next meeting on October 8, where recommendations will be made to the council based on the findings.
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