The arrangements will take effect from Wednesday - to coincide with the official opening of a new, 160-space car park.

And just this week, Health Minister Michael McGimpsey visited the hospital to launch a further 150 spaces, at a cost of £450,000.

This extension to car park 2 should be ready by the end of June.
The new parking rules will forbid parking on the main entrance road up to the hospital, and at key points around the site.

A spokesperson for the Southern Health and Social Care Trust stressed the no-parking zones will be "strictly enforced" and urged everyone to respect the arrangements.

She also urged motorists to use the new spaces to the rear of the hospital, adding that signage and footpaths were in place for them.

"With these additional 160 places now available, we are encouraging all visitors to the site to make use of properly designated car parking, and avoid parking on the main entrance road, around exits and entrances and on footpaths," she said.

criticism

The spokesperson also reminded visitors that the new mental health facility, the Bluestone Unit, which opened at the beginning of May, has a dedicated car parking area for users, with more than 100 spaces.
The Health Minister said the latest 160 spaces will help avoid congestion on the site.

He said, "Craigavon Area Hospital is one of the busiest in Northern Ireland and increased activity across all areas of the site highlighted the need for increased car park provision."

Work on parking is expected to end in late summer, with the provision of a further 100 spaces.

This will bring the total number of designated car parking spaces at the hospital to over 1,300.

The hospital has been on the receiving end of criticism recently, with visitors and patients claiming they have been unable to find spaces, and some frustrated motorists finding themselves blocked in.

Safety concerns about the parking problems were also raised by trust board members as well as health 'watchdog', the Southern Health and Social Services Council.

The hospital spokesperson said, "We appreciate that lack of car parking spaces has created problems around the site, but this announcement is the first in a series of planned improvements and we expect the situation to ease considerably over the next few weeks.

"We urge everyone to act responsibility, respect other users and to keep disabled spaces and drop off zones free for those who need them."


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