ART installations featuring iconic landmarks from across the area have been added to Dorset County Hospital’s new multi-storey car park.
The new parking facility, which is part of a £62.5m government investment to improve services at the hospital, will house space for 650 vehicles across its seven floors.
The main structure is now taking shape with art installations added to its exterior walls before bee blocks, bird boxes and various plants are implemented at a later date.
A spokesperson for DCH said: “The new multi-storey car park (MSCP) will free up land on the hospital site, giving us the space that we need to expand our clinical facilities.
“The 650-space car park will include 12 electric charging points, with the potential for more to be added in the future.
“Metal facades are being added to three sides of the MSCP and will feature images of local landscapes and landmarks, a theme chosen by hospital staff to illustrate the hospital's catchment area.”
Residents within the nearby area were asked to vote which images they would like to see on the walls, with three iconic landmarks coming out on top.
The spokesperson continued: “We invited the local community to vote on the photos and the top three choices were Portland Bill, Durdle Door, and Corfe Castle.
“The site will also include bee blocks built into the gabion walls, native shrub planting, a wildflower lawn, climbing plants and bird boxes.
“The trust is also improving disabled parking across the wider hospital site for those that need to park closer to the hospital entrances.”
The site won unanimous support from Dorset Council when its area planning committee approved the project in September 2020, despite some opposition from residents who claimed it would be out of place in a town which has few tall buildings and might cause additional traffic problems at the junctions either end of Williams Avenue.
At the time the car park was proposed for the 400-bed hospital it was said that staff numbers in 2026 are expected to be up by 22 per cent on the 2015 figure.
The hospital currently employs around 3,500 staff and contributes an estimated £169 million a year to the local economy.
The car park is expected to be to open for visitors in the summer.
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